AC 207: The Hands of Fate
by ItsumademoOtaku
Summary: Book 2, sequal to AC 206: TCTB! "We can't change it, so we might as well call in the gundams." In the year AC 207, colonies have declared war, and it's up to the gang to stop the bloodshed.
1. The Hands of Fate - Prologue

_Okiday (feel free to kill JarJar later . . .), I'm back boys and girls. This is Chapter One of Book Two of my never-ending Fic. I'm experiencing a slight slowdown in creative energy right now, so please bear with me. After much thought, I decided to leave this rather short. This is the prologue, so you can use it as kind of a catch-up as well._

Geez, what can I say when the first review I get is a bad one? I guess I should say a few things on my behalf, shouldn't I? I apologize, because I know this isn't the best chapter, but I'm having a bit of Writer's Block right now. I'm not particularly good at politics, and I've never been in the armed forces (I'm 15, give me a break!). Last but not least, this is a prologue_, put to set the stage for the rest of the book, so it's going to be kind of short. All I'm trying to do is show each major element of the story that will be coming into play._

Disclaimer: This applies to all chapters, mind. I DO NOT OWN GUNDAM WING OR THE CHARATERS, although I couldn't say the same for all the merchandise *Tee-hee.* Also, if you would like to re-post my story, please ask me. I'll probably say yes, but I do get a little paranoid about that. It's takes 2 seconds, so please tolerate me. I think my writing's worth it *coughs.*

Soooooooooo anyway . . . please R&R! Go ahead and flame me. (I'll find a way to get u back.) 

Well, don't flame me if you like_ it, you know._

Book Two of **Threads of Time**

Prologue: AC 207: The Hands of Fate

Milliardo Peacecraft stood on the balcony of Heero's house, which his former opponent had graciously offered to his wife's brother. "This big house seems so empty now that it's just our family here again," He had said.

Noin was asleep. It was well after midnight, and the cold breezes were common to early spring on Northeastern Honshu Island, former Japan this time of year. There was still a bit of snow on the ground, though it was more frost than flake. Last time he'd been on Earth, the first snow of the winter hadn't even started.

It had been exactly three weeks and five hours since they'd received that fateful phone call; three weeks of gnawed fingernails and split hairs that Milliardo could have happily done without. For three weeks, Earth had been at war with colony clusters L-7, L-8 and L-9. Mobile suits were beginning to appear again, despite the vow that another would never be seen.

_"History is very much like an endless waltz. When you begin is your choice, but once you're on the floor you can't stop. It is a pattern of footsteps and twirls; so beautiful to the beholder but more deadly than arsenic if you aren't careful. Somebody just tripped." _Mariemaia had said that when the crowd around the videophone, Heero, Relena, their daughter Akiko, Noin, and himself, had collectively gasped in horror. She'd taken the responsibility on herself to tell them all, leaving her uncle, Trowa, and his lover Quatre to try and settle themselves down. Looking at her face, which he hadn't seen in over ten years, he saw his old friend Treize more clearly than probably even he knew. Her handsome bold frame, a strong expression and wise, all-knowing eyes, combined with the deep passion for a universal peace had shocked him. What Treize had felt for war, she felt for peace. She _knew_ it would be. "_People are doing this for my father. The message that was sent by the colonies said 'In Honor of Trieze Kushrenada.' I have the feeling I'm going to be the one that has to stop all this._" He had comforted the child— not yet even eighteen! — but he knew that she was right. "_I'm not ready for that responsibility yet,_" she had whispered.

From out in the country, with the lights low and the stars out, everything seemed so peaceful. Appearances are deceiving, but this was downright contradictory. He'd been awake ever since Duo and Sophie, visiting from Los Angeles in the former United States, had left for Tokyo, following a few hours after Heero and Relena had left. His niece hadn't awakened, although she had a tendency to be quite sensitive to where her parents were (or weren't).

Milliardo took a long glance at Tallgeese III, which stood to the west of the house alongside Wing Zero Custom-Rebuilt and Deathscythe-RB. He'd retrieved it from its hiding place in Antarctica last week, with Lady Une's help. It was an old friend he would have hoped to never see again. Sighing with remorse, he went inside and crawled into bed beside Noin. Tomorrow, they would follow the others into the city.

As he tried to snuggle up to Noin, he encountered an obstacle. Six-year-old Akiko was curled up under the blankets between them, still holding on to a brown teddy bear he recognized as Relena's from long ago. He sighed. Perhaps Noin didn't know it, but he wanted the little body between them to be his own someday. That is, if he wasn't killed first.

****

~~@[~*,~]@~~

Erik Beliv stood at the bridge of the _Gayla_, his flagship. He was out today to sample the new mobile suit models, the Amphiter and Drake. There was an excess of a hundred of each type below decks in Cargo, and were being loaded in the moment with the colony's best and brightest pilots.

Beliv had left Earth after that disastrous episode in Rome, where his attempt to make Relena Darlian his were spoiled by that selfish little Jap Heero Yuy. Beliv was barely Relena's age, but they had gone to school together for a time, although Beliv severely doubted she remembered. She hadn't made a public appearance since Rome, and Beliv knew why: she was pregnant. It had taken him a moment to notice, but he had seen the slight telltale bulge when he'd carried her off. _I would bet all my dead father's money that Yuy's the father of the brat, too,_ he thought, hiding a mad smile behind his thick black beard. What sweet revenge it would be to announce _that_ to the entire world.

He was no Treize Kushrenada, true, but his father had been a good officer under him and Beliv had learned the man's habits of thinking. Treize was one of a kind, sure enough, and he'd never equal the man's greatness, but he could damn well do his best to maintain any sort of decent OZ-like foundation. The Colony Alliance could well be his path to glory.

He was by all means a handsome man, although quite cold and heartless at times. Beliv tended to be on the selfish side— it is only human nature. The man who had controlled this ship before him had died mysteriously, and Beliv had seized his chance to regain military and political power. Back on his feet after being convicted and sentenced on Earth to ten years' imprisonment for attempted rape, he surveyed his underlings with a sense of smugness. Nothing would stop him now.

"Captain Ingraham, are we ready?"

"Indeed, Sir." Ingraham saluted sharply, clicking the heels of his spit-polished boots together. "We await your command."

Beliv walked over to the command station and braced his hands on the board, squaring his wide shoulders with another dangerous smile. "This is the Admiral speaking. Commence test 1 of Amphiter and Drake mobile suits!"

His command was followed by a flurry of crisp "Yes, Sir!"s. _Now _this_ is a military,_ he thought, standing straight to look out the viewport.

There was a series of loud thumps from the belly of the _Gayla_ as the suits were ejected into space. They had come near to an old minefield, and as soon as the suits got close enough to the space mines, they would be tested. These were the rare _intelligent_ mines that were so incredibly expensive to set that Beliv had considered trying to neutralize some of them to take home as door-prizes.

Both the Amphitere and Drakes were of much different and far better design than the earlier mobile suits from the Earth Sphere Alliance days. The bodies were slimmer, which made them lighter, faster, and more graceful, able to fight better in direct combat. They carried both long range and short-range weapons. The armor was a new design, said to be stronger even than Gundanium. It was, in fact, only made of carbon, but harder than a diamond. The atomic structure, due to recent incredible advances in molecular science, was enhanced to deflect _any_ type of energy. The unique reflective property gave the suits a sleek oily-sheen look. Beliv was quite proud of them.

The suits came into view of the ship, spots of energy in a black void. The mines were too small to view at this distance, of course, but the cameras in the mobile suits would give him a good look soon enough.

The Amphitere were the first to reach the minefield, as they were smaller and faster than the Drakes. The tiny explosives were still evidently in perfect condition, because they began to track the suits almost immediately. Amp-01 twisted around and fired one shot; the mine pursuing him blew up

Beliv smiled again. He couldn't wait to play with his new toys on Earth.

****

~~@[~*,~]@~~

Test pilot A-38 snickered at the ease of which he destroyed the enemies, swinging his beam saber in an arc to smash two at once. This was _fun_. He'd never been in a Drake model before in his life, but he could immediately see why the Admiral liked them so much. They were marvelous new machines.

With a smooth easy move he never would have accomplished in a Leo, A-38 drew his energy rifle and blasted a burst of plasma into the nearest swarm of targets headed for him. They were outnumbered a million to one, but he was sure they wouldn't lose a single man.

Behind them pilot D-12 screamed in fear when an explosive escaped his mark and hit his armor. The explosion blossomed, and A-38 cursed. _That was too stupid, to tempt fate like that._ However, a second later, the suit emerged from the fire-cloud, not even scratched.

_"Brilliant!_" A-38 shouted to himself. "This is _brilliant!_" Laughing could be heard from his officers across channels. "We're invincible!"

An hour later, not a single scrap remained functional. "I'd say that's a successful run," A-38 sniggered, going in to dock.

****

~~@[~*,~]@~~

Lady Une swallowed hard and fought the urge to insult the damn man. "We _can't _give weapons to the gundam's pilots. They won't accept them! You heard Heero's speech, the same as the rest of us!"

"Yes, _Lady_, but Mr. Yuy never agreed to do anything once a war had been started."

"But they have _possesion_ of the gundams now. You have to clear it with them first! I must insist!"

Elder Representative Tyer raise a bushy white eyebrow. "Indeed, Une? What right do you have to insist anything from us? Didn't you just recently lose eight officers to an unknown terrorist faction?"

"I lost six. The other two have been recovered," Une said coldly, though she knew he'd won that round. "I nevertheless protest," she said, surrendering.

"Your protest is logged. Moving on, we must address the issue of new mobile suit models. General Newell, what say you?"

The blonde, thickly built Newell stood and cleared his throat. "Five new models of mobile suits have been proposed: space models Karkadann and Kirin, a land model Urisk, a water model Naoka, and a strictly air model Slyph. The Karkadann and Kirin resemble the two models the colonies have been working on, as I found out through inside sources, and are quite formidable in zero-G combat. These units can be mass-produced quickly and efficiently due to their smaller stature and advances in mechanical technology. The Urisk is slow moving and heavily armed, designed for blockade tactics rather than a fast getaway. The heavy armor and weaponry makes it cumbersome, but they could be put to good use against a space model. The Naoka is useless above the water, but it is extremely fast and agile, much like a Pisces or a Cancer. They could be dispatched to an underwater wreck more than likely before the enemy could even confirm the crash. The Slyph is a design based on the "bird mode" first experimented with on the gundams. It is more like a fighter jet than a suit, capable of the fastest speed achieved yet by humans in an atmosphere. I can transform itself into a more human-shaped form for combat, but only if absolutely necessary." Newell clicked slides past on the projector. 

Une sighed, depressed. _So this is what it's come down to, has it? Heero, Relena, Quatre . . . where are you when I need you most?_

******************************************

Heh heh . . . I don't know why I'm laughing. Well, we figured out where Beliv went, didn't we?

Also, if you have any great MS designs, I'll be happy to have them, because I am NO GOOD at mechanical planning (right now at any rate . . .). I'm always open to suggestions, guys. Audience input is WAY welcome.

Well, as MOST of you are aware, Relena, Heero, Duo and Sophie have disappeared to somewhere, and it doesn't take a genius to figure things out (does it?) Also, Quatre teams up with the Manguanac Corps, back on his father's colony. There's a little character turn-around at that point, so don't miss the next chapter: **AC 207: The Hands of Fate: "New Arrivals, New Ideas".**


	2. New Arrivals, New Ideas

__

FINALLY I've got this chapter done. Sorry it's been so long, I've just had some things I needed to do. I'm also working on another GWfic that's turning out to be quite a challenge. If you enjoy my comedy please try and look it up sometime. I'm not sure what it's going to be called, but it'll be under my author page :-) . Well, I'm going to the extremes this time around - very dark in spots but also light, if ya know what I mean. Enjoy.

****

AC 207: The Hands of Fate (Part II)

**New Arrivals, New Ideas**

Quatre had returned to his colony cluster, L4. Immediately after stepping off the shuttle, he was greeted by some old friends. "Rashid! Guys! How have you been doing out here?"

Quatre had left the Manguanac Corps in charge of the colonies in his absence (almost two years now).

The boys all ran up and hugged him. "Master Quatre!"

Rashid stood off to the side, his tall, wide form a variable landmark in the sea of overjoyed friends. As soon as he was able, Quatre sidled up to him. "How have things been, Rashid?"

Rashid put a large arm around Quatre's shoulders and led him away, to a waiting Towncar. "It has been very peaceful here. In fact, this has been the only colony cluster without a major riot, as I recall. We've all been very impressed with your work these past weeks to maintain order on Earth and the colonies, you know. You have improved in leadership even in just that time."

Quatre climbed into the car. The scenes that greeted him were encouraging; families were enjoying the green parks, people were strolling among the shops without a care, and kids ran through the streets with their parents feeling that they would be home safe for dinner. Several people took a few seconds to look in the window of the car and waved, grinning. Quatre sighed. "How am I supposed to tell these people they have to fight?"

Rashid gave him a look. "That's why you've come here, to promote war?"

Quatre shook his head hurriedly. "I hate war, you know that. But we have to fight, or the Colony Alliance will only hurt innocents. They are not trying to take us over, Rashid, they're trying to destroy us. If I can get people to train, so they can fight to defend Earth and the colonies, then maybe I won't have to worry about _everyone's _welfare so much."

Rashid was silent. Then, he accused, "You're fighting with Sandrock, aren't you? You're going to give this damn war everything you've got."

Quatre nodded solemnly. "I have to. My friends and their families are too important to me not to."

Rashid slammed his hand down on his armrest. "What about your family? Are your friends really that valuable to you if your sisters lose you? If _we _lose you? Master Quatre, I beg you to reconsider!"

Quatre shook his head. "I _can't_, Rashid. I promised the others I would fight for them. I looked at what they have and what I have, and I can't let Heero and Duo and Wufei lose their wives and their children."

"They are more valuable than your own sisters? Than us?"

Quatre looked up. "Not more, but just as. You can't change my mind about this. I'm not a child any more. I can make decisions for myself!"

Rashid avoided his gaze. _Master Quatre has been like my son for many years . . . I can't believe how hard this is to admit, but I have to let him go sooner or later._

The car pulled up in front of the Winner embassy. The door was opened for Quatre. He stepped out and motioned to Rashid. "Come on, let's go inside."

****

~~@[~*,~]@~~

"Aah!"

"You okay??" Duo leapt out of the seat once again, stubbing his toe against the hospital bed. He'd been like this for hours, ever since Sophie had been in labor. It was just about as annoying as the contractions.

"No, I'm not okay, but there's nothing you can do about it so just sit the hell down. All you're doing is making me— gnh— nervous!"

Duo felt helpless. His wife was in pain and there wasn't anything he could do. He was _not_ used to being beyond control of the situation. "I'm supposed to be helping!"

"Yelling isn't going to do the trick!"

Duo grimaced, eyes wide, and started pacing again. "What am I doing, then? God, I can't do a damn thing. Sophie, tell me what to do!"

Sophie took as deep a breath as the situation would allow. She tried her best to speak softly. Duo was panicking. "Come over here and sit down."

Giving her a look of gratitude, he ran over to the chair he had occupied a moment before and tried to sit down.

He missed and hit the floor.

The nurse chuckled. "Here, Mr. Maxwell. Let me help you . . ."

"Thanks."

"Is this your first, Mr. Maxwell?" The nurse's question was designed to help distract Duo, and Sophie felt grateful. It was quite obvious to anyone that Duo was being a rookie at this.

"Y— yeah." Duo brushed his hospital scrubs off and settled shakily into the seat. He put his hand in his wife's. It was ice-cold and shaking.

"Calm down," she told him gently. "Duo, I'm fine. The baby's fine. There's nothing to worry about."

"I can't help it." Duo said, trying a lopsided grin on for size. He stopped trembling.

She tried to laugh. "Don't you feel stupid . . ."

Duo mock-banged his head against the wall. "Wouldn't be the first time."

Sophie's grin turned into a wince as another contraction came.

"You okay?" Duo asked for the umpteenth time.

"I'm _fine_." _Guess I wasn't going to get off that easy . . ._

****

~~@[~*,~]@~~

Heero was trying to be the ultimate contrast to Duo, by comparison. Despite his eagerness, Relena hadn't felt him so much as twitch in the almost twenty-four hours they'd been at the hospital. As compared to Duo and Sophie's six and a half.

"You know, I could kind of handle it if you'd act just a little excited," she told him.

Heero shifted his arm around her shoulder. "Why would that help?"

"It's just a little more _normal._ Last time you nearly had to be drugged!"

"Inexperienced fathering."

"Dammit, Heero! Stop acting so macho and tell me it's gonna be okay like you're worried or something! You don't have to be Mr.-in-control just because you've done this before. I'd appreciate a little less of that calm act, for once. It makes me wonder if you're really excited at all," Relena snapped between waves of pain. Ooh, and Sophie thought _hers_ was bad, she'd bet.

_It's all those hormones in her system_ Heero told himself. _Of _course_ she likes me quiet and calm. Last time she complained about me being too hyper._

Heero hugged her shoulders. "I never said I wasn't excited. I'm just trying to keep you calm."

Relena tried to argue but found she couldn't. He'd said exactly what she'd wanted him to. "I'm sorry," she said after a minute. "I'm just so tired, Heero . . ."

"Believe me, I understand. I may not feel everything you're going through, sweetheart, but I've been up just as long as you have. I think that counts for something."

Relena growled. "That wasn't what I was hoping for—"

"Joke," Heero said quickly to avoid her wrath. "I'm just trying to lighten up a little."

Relena leaned against him. "Sorry."

"It's okay, saiai. You've had a long day."

Relena smiled at his pet name for her. She wasn't sure exactly what it meant, but it was something sweet in Japanese, his parents had assured her. He only used it when he was feeling affectionate, so she felt better suddenly. She fell silent and sank into his strong arms, letting him hold her like he obviously wanted to.

Heero smiled and kissed the back of her head. "We're close, kanojo. I can feel it."

That one meant "sweetheart," she knew. He was still a little nervous. She thought, _He's been so jumpy lately. He's probably trying his best not to make me tense, too. Sorry I didn't notice, Heero . . ._

Heero squeezed her hand. "It's okay . . ."

She gripped his tightly as another wave of pain shot through her.

The nurse shook her head. "Sorry to disappoint, but I think you two have still got a few hours . . ."

"Great," Relena groaned.

Heero squeezed her hand. "It's okay," he said again.

****

~~@[~*,~]@~~

Duo was pacing again. The poor man just couldn't sit down. Heero could see him out in the hall.

Suddenly, there was a whoop and he disappeared downward. The nurse tutted at him for disturbing the other patients, but Heero could understand his feelings.

A moment later, the door opened slowly. Duo leaned heavily on the frame, a dreamy look to him. A huge grin was plastered on his face.

Relena chuckled, just loud enough for Heero to hear. "Congratulations, Duo," she offered, urging him on.

Duo began to laugh, his shoulders shaking silently in indescribable joy. "I— I have a son," he whispered.

"Whoa!" Heero jumped away from his wife and leapt to catch Duo before he hit the floor. He turned to Relena, the braided American limp in his arms. "I'd better go return this before Sophie starts missing it too much."

Relena smiled, though he knew she was exhausted. "Go. We've still got hours to go, at any rate."

Heero helped Duo back to his wife and infant son. He helped his friend sit down on the bed next to them and stole a peek at the new baby. "What did you name him?"

Duo shakily took the child in his arms and cooed softly to the sleeping bundle. "Vincent."

"_Vincent? _No offense, but that doesn't exactly sound like you."

Sophie shot him a don't-mess-with-me-right-now look.

"Hey, I can call him Vinnie, or Vince, or VJ . . . ." Duo ignored Heero's slightly sarcastic remark.

"_VJ?_"

"Vincent James," Duo answered. "Vincent James Maxwell."

Heero blinked. "Were we a little heavy on the sainthood?"

"Hey, I can only take so much, you know," Duo snapped. "Oh, come on, I was raised in a Catholic orphanage. I had to do _something_ to say thank you."

"It's a beautiful name," added Sophie, with a venomous gleam in her eye.

"It's got a nice sound to it," Heero said quickly. "I dunno why, I was just expecting something different."

Duo cuddled Vincent to his chest. "'S okay. I think we can deal with that explanation."

****

~~@[~*,~]@~~

Trowa stood on the balcony of the police building in downtown London, where he worked. It was raining, the falling water plastering his newly-blonde hair to his face. His clothes were wet, but that didn't matter. He had more important things to worry about.

The Sergeant cleared his throat behind him. "Excuse me, we need all civilians to— Oh, it's you, Trowa. I didn't recognize the hair."

Trowa allowed himself a small smile. It was a little amusing to see the looks on people's faces. "Neither did my own niece. What have you got for me, Will?"

"Justin Ender, black, male, fifteen. He killed two of my men, detonated about half the base's soldier barracks and stole a mobile suit. I guess you're just the man for the job, aren't you?"

"What type of mobile suit?" Trowa asked.

"One of the new ones. A Slyph. You know, one of those ones that looks like fighter jet? He could do serious damage in a real short amount of time with one of those."

Mariemaia poked her head around the corner. "Shouldn't they have those new mobile suits under tighter security? Makes you wonder . . ."

Trowa shushed her roughly. "Keep your mouth shut! It took a lot of string-pulling to get you in here in the first place, young lady, so don't get yourself kicked out!"

Mariemaia shrugged her shoulders and vanished into the hallway.

"Eavesdropping, Trowa?" Will looked concerned. "That's asking for trouble. She's a wild one, isn't she?"

"Treize Kushrenada's daughter? She's the devil's advocate with that hair and those eyes. Nah, she's worried as the rest of us."

"Treize Kushrenada's— Mariemaia _Kushrenada_ is still alive??"

Trowa glanced around nervously and put a hand over Will's mouth. "Yes, but no one needs to know! She rejected her father's name after I adopted her, and pretty much all of his policies, too. She's Mariemaia Barton now, friend!"

Will nodded in understanding. "You'd just better keep and eye on her, is all."

"I'm worried, but not about her. I might end up having to take Heavyarms after this kid. I'm the only gundam pilot ready for action at the moment."

"What do you mean?"

"Heero and Duo are both in the hospital with their wives. I just got word Sophie had a son. Quatre's gone back to his home colony to check up on things and Wufei's on his honeymoon in Hawaii." Trowa accepted the document envelope Will handed him and began pacing in frustration. "Heavyarms is no match for a Slyph. He'd be way too fast for me."

"You've got the weapons," Will pointed out. The man didn't know a whole lot about mobile suit combat— he'd never been in the military— so Trowa was patient.

"I have the gun, but all I could use that for is a bludgeon. Bullets are nothing if you can't get them to the target before he's in a new spot, even if I had any. Heavyarms is not designed for that kind of combat. I need Shenlong or Sandrock. Any of the others would be an improvement, frankly. None of us have weapons, and Heavyarms is just too slow."

"Perhaps you could pull Chang away?"

"Not a chance. He left the four of us messages before he and Phailin set out that they were not to be disturbed short of a tsunami hitting their hotel. I'm pretty sure he was serious about that."

There was the sound of running feet. A sandy-haired young officer burst in to the room. "Sir, we've got Ender on the line. He's said he's willing to listen."

"Let's see how well I can still negotiate. If Lady Luck is with us I won't have to drag Heavyarms into this after all."

A young boy's voice came on the line. "Are you really?"

"Really what?" Trowa narrowed his eyebrows in puzzlement.

"Trowa Barton?"

"That is my name. That is my legend. I won't deny who I am." _Anything to get this kid home._

"I'm honored," Ender said, voice suddenly cold. "What do you want?"

"We want to get you back on the ground. Why did you do it, Dennis?" Trowa asked the question smoothly, calmly. His rock-solidness had always been greatly valued.

There was a bitter laugh on the other end. "Why did I do it? Why'd I do what? Why did I kill those soldiers, or why did I steal this Slyph? Why'd I do what, Barton?"

Trowa's eyes widened. "All of it. Why don't you start with the theft?"

"You want to know why I stole this bird, Trowa Barton? Well, I'll tell you. Ever since I was a little kid I've wanted to be a pilot, but then the peacetime came and all the mobile suits were destroyed. My dreams of being a mobile suit pilot were shattered. You five killed them. I'll always wanted to destroy you for that.

"Oh, sure, the whole thing about people not dying's a plus, but what it comes down to in the end is personal ambition. Why'd you fight in the war twelve years ago? I bet it wasn't because you believed in the colonies. What kind of boy would that be, starting a war just because the place they'd grew up wanted the violence to stop. You just said "I won't deny who I am," but I know you're not the real Trowa Barton. My godfather's the one who saw him shot. What's in a name, my dear Nameless Soldier? Isn't it our ambition that makes us human? Maybe I could be Zechs Merquise, or Heero Yuy, or Trowa Barton, or Duo Maxwell, all false names. Maybe I could just be John Doe, huh? Maybe I could be Shinitama, the God of Life!"

Trowa didn't give the kid time to think when he paused. No matter how much Dennis had just hurt or embarrassed him, he couldn't let this kid slip. He needed him to show the world what confusion they had to confront. "What's in a name depends on the person who uses it. How would you use the name Shinitama? Duo was the God of Death, the Great Destroyer. Duo killed people. How could you bring life?"

There was silence on the other end. Trowa began to worry that he'd said too much— he wasn't following standard negotiation procedure, and Will was looking decidedly nervous. Finally, Ender said, "By stopping those who think they have the right to control who lives and who dies."

"So what happens if you die?"

"Then it's my time. So be it. Am I what I am, Mr. Trowa Barton."

"That's it? What about your friends, your parents, your young siblings? What would your mother think?" Trowa used an old line of Catherine's. It worked on a lot of people.

"My _mother?_ That semi-humanoid heroin-shooting crack-smoking hoar? Why the hell would she care that I'm alive? My _friends?_ Since when do I have friends? You overestimate my life's value, Trowa Barton. I'm nothing, a nobody, a street kid with nowhere to go and nothing to get there with. My only chance was as a pilot, but then I realized how well off I was with no war and now I know I have to stop them!"

"There are other ways of helping the war that would put you and others in less danger," Trowa replied smoothly. "See, the problem with your plan is that it puts innocent lives in danger. You could kill civilians as well as the political and military leaders. Why don't you work with us? I'm sure we'd be happy to have you aboard."

"Not to mention the fact I could keep an eye on him. Good thinking, Trowa," murmured Will almost inaudibly.

"Join the police force? Isn't it a little too late for that?" Ender laughed again. "Call me back if you've got something new, Mr. _Barton_." There was a click and the line went dead.

_That's no laugh for a child,_ Trowa thought. _He is so much like I was. So old, yet so young. What has he seen?_ He glanced up to see Mariemaia standing in the doorway. She looked almost guilty.

"Uncle Trowa, let me talk to him."

Trowa grimaced. "Why?"

She swallowed. She looked almost as though her emotions were being held back only with a lot of force. "I know him. I— I tutored him earlier this year."

_Oh no,_ thought Trowa,_ she thinks this is her fault._ "Honey, you didn't do anything—"

"We were close," she interrupted. "Dennis . . . has a lot of potential, but if he doesn't shape up he's going to fail himself. Please, Trowa, let me talk to him!"

Their conversation was interrupted by three men in military uniform. "Mr. Trowa Barton? Commander Shiff of the Earth Sphere United British Isles unit. I've come to request you hunt this kid Ender down."

Trowa shook his head. "We're talking. If I get Heavyarms out there he'll think we want to fight him. That is the exact opposite of our objective here. I realize this has become a worldwide crisis, Commander, but I'm not going to chase him.

"Let me rephrase: I've come to _order _you to knock this kid Ender out of the air. If the little bastard just hung up on you, I don't think the negotiations are going very well, are they?"

Trowa stood, and Shiff's two underlings raised their weapons. He pulled back his jacket to show that his holster was empty, and gestured to the semi-automatic resting on his desk. A drop of rainwater fell from his hair, adding to the puddle on the floor. "We are talking. I'm not a civilian, and I'm not an underling, Commander. You have no authority over me. The military is not going to interfere until they need to. I will let you know as soon as that happens. It's your fault that he has the Slyph in the first place."

"I could get you in serious trouble for this, Barton."

"Are you threatening a man of superior officer, Commander?"

"No, warning you." Shiff puffed out his chest. He was quite young, Trowa noticed, and very green.

Trowa sat back down an ignored them. He looked at his niece. "You still want a go?"

Mariemaia, her mind set, nodded. She reached for the dial.

"Watch my signals," Trowa told her as it was connecting.

The first sound they heard was an explosion, then more laughter. Will's jaw dropped. "What—"

Shiff's communicator beeped. "Code Red! Shimra's been killed! I repeat, Representative Shimra of the British Isles has been assassinated!"

Shiff swore loudly, and Trowa resisted the sudden reflex to cover Mariemaia's ears. "I told you, didn't I? God dammit, get that little sonofabitch out of the sky before he kills us all!"

"DENNIS ENDER!!" Mariemaia slammed her fist down on the desk, making the picture frames rattle. "What the HELL do you think you're doing?"

The laughter stopped. "Who is this?"

"It's Mariemaia. You still remember me, don't you?"

There was such a long silence this time that Trowa was almost the connection had been severed. Then, Ender said, "Why are they using you?"

"I'm here with my uncle Trowa. Do you know who I am, Dennis?"

The question sounded sudden, abrupt. Trowa was surprised, but Mariemaia _did_ tend to seize opportunities by the throat and didn't waste time squeezing. Ender said, "The only friend I've got."

Mariemaia straightened. Even though Ender couldn't see her, her posture could be heard through her voice. "My name, Dennis, is Mariemaia Barton. It used to be Mariemaia Kushrenada. My father was Treize Kushrenada, the Man who Made History. I never met him, although my grandfather gave me many insights into him for years. My father loved people. He believed in the compassion that a man gave a machine. That's why he admired the gundam pilots. My father believed that war was necessary for the human race to satisfy their instinctual desires. Because he believed in people, people believed in him.

"I believe in the value of people, much like my father, and that sometimes we must have war. Those wars must be fought by people. On one hand, I do see the beauty to war, but on the other more personal hand, I see only the horror. Philosophy is a great thing, but death is dominant over all. The soldier that has died is the lowest common denominator of the battlefield. I expected more of you than to give your live for something so ridiculous as a subconscious yearning for violence. Be the man you wanted to be four months ago. Don't be the boy that doesn't look out to the rest of the world."

The sound of gunfire stopped. A small explosion echoed, but died before its roar grew louder. Heavy breathing was heard. "Why . . . do you think I still have any desire at all to continue living?" Ender asked. "I died a long time ago. I thought . . . I thought you knew that. I don't know why you tried to help me. Maybe you're right, Mariemaia, but war is here. I know I'm low. I'm scum, a street urchin. I'm the soldier who died."

The sound of the Slyph's engines stopped. The video screen blinked on, and the boy's face appeared. "Take care of my brother and sister, Mariemaia. Don't let them give up hope the way I did. You're right. I'm not going to kill anyone else. The last death I'll cause . . . will be my own."

Mariemaia cried out and reached toward the screen as if she could stop him. "Dennis, no!"

"Goodbye, dear friend. I loved you, you know. I hope you'll be okay." The background whistling almost drowned out the words and the scream of pain. Almost. The screen went fuzzy, then suddenly it was red.

_His blood,_ Mariemaia realized. "No!" she screamed, falling to her knees. "Oh God, I've failed him. I failed him. What did I do wrong?" She curled up on the wet floor, lost in tears.

Trowa knelt and put his arms around her as sobs made her body spasm. He remembered the first time he'd failed to prevent a man from taking his own life. Mariemaia already had the guilt of the war on her shoulders. "Poor child," he whispered, not knowing himself who he was referring to. "It wasn't your fault."

Shiff was talking into his officers. "Go find the body. I believe we owe Miss Mariemaia the courtesy." 

****

~~@[~*,~]@~~

"Nothing yet?" Milliardo looked at Heero, slightly disbelieving. "Nothing at all??"

"It's just Relena, I think. Akiko was slow, too. There's nothing wrong, before you get all worked up, okay? Relena's fine. I've been with her all this time. I think I can take care of her."

Milliardo's jaw clenched. He was still slightly touchy about his sister being married to his archenemy, Heero knew, but that didn't mean there was anything he could do about it. 

"It's not my fault, you know."

Milliardo looked at him strangely. "Not your fault? You're the damn father, aren't you?"

"Yes. How would that make Relena's slow labor my fault?"

"You're the reason she's in labor in the first place!"

"Boys, boys! Milliardo, for heaven's sake calm down. Relena's _fine_. We'll get a call as soon as the baby's born, won't we Heero?"

Heero recognized a rescue when he heard one. "Of course. Wasn't planning to do anything different. Relena'd kill me, for one thing . . ."

"I'm staying here," Milliardo insisted.

"Someone has to be home when Akiko gets off from school!" Heero protested. "You two promised you would stay and watch for her."

"I'll go back," Noin said, trying to pacify the two feuding men. "I'll go back, okay? Just calm down, both of you."

Milliardo collapsed into one of the comfortable old couches in the waiting room. "You'd better take care of her, Yuy."

"I was planning on it." Heero walked off, back to the birthing room. As soon as he was out of sight of the waiting room, he ran. He didn't want to miss a thing.

"Mr. Yuy, I was just about to go looking for you! We were just about to call this done and over with!" The nurse was halfway around the corner.

He sprinted past her, to his wife. "H— H— Heero, where were you?" Relena panted.

Heero perched himself on the edge of her bed, one arm around her shoulders and the other hand inside hers. "Your brother kept me. You can kill him later."

"I'll consider it," Relena growled, wincing as another contraction came. Heero tried not to protest as his hand was crushed. He tried _really_ hard to be sensitive, especially after the admonishing he'd received with Akiko's birth.

"Next contraction I want you to start pushing, okay Ms Darlian?" The doctor reported.

Heero squeezed her shoulder gently and kissed her sweaty forehead. He was exhausted, having been roused in the middle of the night and up for thirty hours straight, but he knew better to complain. "We're almost there, honey."

Relena, breathing heavy, merely nodded at leaned against his shoulder. She suddenly tensed again with an outcry of surprise.

"Push, Ms Darlian," The doctor told her. "One, two, three . . ."

Heero held her as best he could under the awkward circumstances.

The tense silence of the room was broken by a sudden loud cry as their second child was brought into the world. Relena collapsed back against her husband, tears of pain and exhaustion and joy on her cheeks. The noise startled Heero— it had been a long time since he'd heard it— and his head snapped up, eyes blurry with no sleep cleared and sharpened.

One of the nurses cleaned the baby girl up and brought her to her mother's arms. "Was Akiko really that tiny?" Heero breathed, staring openmouthed at her.

Relena sighed as the little thing went after breakfast, Heero still watching her with wonder, arms entwined with his daughter's mother's. After a while, he laid a sleepy Relena (she always tended to be when feeding) back against her pillow and went to go inform Milliardo that he had another niece (Heero got the sense that "Uncle Millie" had wanted a boy).

Milliardo jumped off the couch when Heero called to him. "It's a girl?" he asked, sounding about as excited as Heero himself was. Heero nodded and took him to his sister. Relena looked barely awake, although ecstatic over her daughter. "What'd you name her?" Milliardo asked her.

Heero looked to Relena. She smiled dreamily. "I haven't decided yet," she said.

Heero took the baby from his wife as her head sagged. She was asleep.

Milliardo looked at the tiny baby in Heero's arms. After an awkward moment, he sighed. "Maybe I shouldn't have been so harsh with you, Heero . . . After all, I guess I can't change the fact my sister's married to you."

Heero nodded and held his daughter out, and Milliardo took her with a bit of surprise. "You can't change how Relena and I feel for each other. Honestly, I don't see why we'd really disagree with each other all that strongly. I mean, you have been working as our bodyguard. Stay with us as long as you like. I know Relena likes having you close by."

The older man smiled at Heero's generosity. "Peace?"

"As much as we can hope for. I really don't want to fight any more."

Milliardo agreed, "I hear you. If I may suggest a name, brother?"

Heero shrugged, sitting down next to his wife again, stroking her still hand gently. "Go ahead."

Milliardo cuddled the little girl. "Before the Peacecraft Kingdom fell, father took a spin on our word for peace to name Relena. Naming her Raina would connect her both with her mother and the peace we are trying to achieve here. It's just a thought, but I thought Relena might like it."

Heero smiled. "You'll have to talk to Relena, but I do."

Milliardo handed her back to her father. "I'd better call Noin."

Heero grinned dreamily at his daughter. He was already calling her Raina Yuy in his mind. _Relena will love it._ Raina clutched at his finger, asleep. Heero could already see the resemblance to her mother.

****

*********************************************

_See, a sweetie thing at the end. Well, next chapter I have to write a conclusion to the Mariemaia and Dennis Ender thing. And you get to find out if Raina's name sticks. And lots of other things. I haven't decided yet. I haven't started it, either. Well, That's All I Have to Say About That._

-ItsumademoOtaku


	3. Delirium and Grievances

Out of popular request  __

Out of popular request . . . here it is, Heero's proposal to Relena. Why'd I call this book the Hands of Fate? Find out here! There isn't much to say right now. This is a bit of a dark chapter, too. This book is intended to be a lot more like that than like AC206, which was much lighter by contrast. I'm getting things saying that these chapters are moving by slow, but they represent a lot of philosophy type stuff and so naturally I have to go into quite a bit of depth. For those of you who are waiting for action, I promise I'm working on it!

**After Colony 207: The Hands of Fate (Part III)**

**Delirium and Grievances**

The tuna was delicious. Relena felt quite honored to have been invited to such a splendid dinner.

"It's the least we could do," Megumi, Heero's mother, insisted. "I'm sure you won't have time to eat home-cooked meals running around the colonies."

"Thank you again for inviting me. You know, I don't think I've ever had dinner here before."

"It was Heero's idea," Masao told her.

Relena, surprised, looked to her lover. He met her eyes for a split second before turning away to play with his food. He looked uneasy. "Heero, is something wrong?"

Heero shook his head hurriedly. "No."

Relena, Masao and Megumi had finished eating before he spoke again. His plate was still half-full, Relena noticed.

Heero stood, wine glass in his hand. "I can't take credit for this wine, since Relena picked it out, but I'd like to propose something with it anyway. As you may or may not have noted, today marks our three-year anniversary as a couple, part of the reason I asked her here tonight. I wanted to call attention to the fact that we've been through such trying times and have still managed to make it to this point unscathed, but that's not everything. To fully describe our relationship, I'd need several more pieces of paper than I had to write this—"

Masao chuckled.

"— and a hell of a lot more courage. I have too much pride to admit everything I feel out loud, but Relena, I think you have a pretty good idea about that. I knew we'd face more rough spots ahead when I signed into this deal, but the hardest ones for me have been not when we've fought, but when we're not together. The longest time in the past that we've ever gone without one another was a week. Three months from now I'm afraid I'll have forgotten what it's like to have you by my side, and I don't want that."

Heero walked around the table slowly, looking to the ceiling as if it would encourage him. Relena was more puzzled than ever. Heero had _never _made a speech before, much less one about how he felt.

Heero paused at her side. "And now I'm prepared to take the ultimate test. This night is more important to me than anything else I've done up to this point in time. I've planned for months for this, and I still can't believe I'm actually saying it. But Relena, I have to find some way to pledge to you that I'll be here when you get home. I need to know you'll still want me back. I finally decided what risk I'm willing to take."

Heero took her hand gently, and Relena sensed him searching for her eyes. She looked into those stormy blue irises and felt pierced by his thoughts. Suddenly the air felt electric, tense. Heero sank to his knees, and Relena's heart leapt into her throat. She couldn't believe what was happening. She'd dreamed of the words that were about to spring from his lips for the entire world to hear, but she'd never thought he'd have the guts to do it.

"Relena," he almost whispered. "Saiai, my love, will you be my wife?"

A tingle rushed through her body like nothing she'd ever felt. _He said it,_ she marveled. _He really said _it. "Oh Heero," she sighed, swiveling in her chair. "Oh Heero, I will!" 

Heero's face lit up like she'd never seen. His eyes sparkled and his cheeks flushed and a soft smile spread his mouth. He looked suddenly like a whole different person. Relena realized right then how much she meant to him, with that simple joyous smile.

Relena felt cold metal around her finger, and looked down to the most beautiful diamond ring she'd ever seen. She let herself fall from her chair, knowing Heero would be there to catch her. She hugged his shoulders tightly, still slightly disbelieving.

Heero kissed her sweetly, gently, like so rarely he had done before. Only at the hotel, to beg her to stay the night, and only the log cabin on her birthday last year. His soft lips touched hers and shiny-but-mussed hair brushed her forehead and his strong arms gripped her tightly as she felt herself go weak with happiness. "I love you," he whispered. "I'll love you forever."

Relena felt herself go faint. Distantly she heard Megumi trying to keep her crying from disturbing them. She sank against Heero's chest, feeling her tongue move of its own accord. "I love you too," she heard herself say, "but somehow eternity just doesn't seem to be a strong enough concept."

****

~~@[~*,~]@~~

Relena woke up in the middle of the night. She'd slept for almost an entire day straight, and she'd dreamed—

Heero reached over to squeeze her shoulder and she realized what had awakened her. The baby had been crying. Her husband rocked her gently in his chair, bottle in his hand. "I was wondering when you'd respond to that," he said quietly.

She could only see his silhouette in the moonlight shining through the hospital window, but he sounded like he'd been up all night. She reached for their daughter. "Here, I can take her for a while."

Heero stood and handed her over, setting the bottle on the nightstand. Relena preferred natural feeding as opposed to bottles for the first few months. He sat beside her. "I got a call from Trowa. Some kid stole a mobile suit, assassinated former Britain's foreign minister and committed suicide."

"Did I need to know that?" Relena asked dryly. "So much for 'good morning.'"

"Yeah, sorry. He just called and it shook me up a little. He said the kid was a friend of Mariemaia's and she was really upset. He needed some help with counseling her."

"What'd you say?" Relena stroked her daughter's thin wisps of dark hair, a little disturbed.

Heero put his arm around her in comfort. "I told him to let her grieve. Apparently she went out to go find the body."

Relena looked up sharply. "She shouldn't see the mangled corpse of a person she cares about! Heero, the last memories Mariemaia had of death came with an entire mental turnaround for her."

"I know," Heero told her. "But I thought it would be an adequate reminder. Hey, I didn't tell her to go looking for it. She wanted to. I guess she feels she owed it to him or something. I know I'd go looking for _you._" He kissed her temple gently, and she realized his cheeks were wet.

"Heero . . . you've been crying."

"There are so many things going on here, all tangled together in a very intricate web. I've been watching the news. All the rioters around the world are young people. All the ones fighting are, too. The people even as old as us are crying for peace, but the younger generation keeps wanting to fight. What the hell is wrong with them?

"And now they want the gundam pilots out there to quell the uprising of the colonies. I don't want to go. I don't want to risk myself with Raina—"

"Raina?" Relena interrupted.

"Oh, I guess you were asleep, weren't you? What do you think about that name? Milliardo suggested it. It means "peace" in the old Sanc Kingdom language. I thought it would be fitting."

Relena looked down at the shadowy blanket-wrapped form in her arms. "I like it."

"Should I go fill out the rest of the birth certificate?"

"Later. Tell me what else is bothering you. You said many things."

Heero hugged her tighter, not replying for a long while. Finally, he said, "I was just thinking . . . that if I ever lost you like that I'd probably try and follow right after. I don't think I could take not having you close to me any more. I never really imagined that we'd ever be separated again, because of death or otherwise, and that's what made me so scared after that whole incident in Rome. I— I get the feeling I may not live to see our daughters grow up, and it scares me." His voice cracked suddenly, and he fell silent.

Relena felt another tear fall from his face. She'd never seen him cry so much as he had in the past six months. In fact, she'd never seen him cry at all before. He really was scared. She leaned her head against his and let him hold her, as she knew it comforted him. "Whatever happens, Heero, I'm going to try my best not to get us or anyone killed. You know that, right?"

"I can't help but be afraid. So many things are out of my control."

Relena looked past her distraught husband and out the window. The sky was beginning to brighten. Raina's small mouth stopped wandering for her mother's milk and in a moment she was back asleep, breathing deeply and evenly, like her namesake. She nudged Heero with her elbow and caught his eye.

The two of them watched the sunrise together, and Relena realized that they hadn't done that in years. "Perhaps it's a symbol," Relena thought aloud. "Maybe the universe is trying to tell us that it's all in the hands of Fate now, Heero."

"The color of the rising sun is red, love. Red for the blood that is to be spilled this day and the next until Fate finds a way to stop that. That sure gives me a reassuring feeling."

Relena sat, deep in thought. She said quietly. "In legends of old, there were many characters people believed to be real. There were the four horseman of the apocalypse, Death, Plague, Pestilence and Famine, and then there was another that was known above all others. If Duo can be Death, Heero, why can't you be Fate?"

"Shukumei," Heero muttered, not sounding pleased. "Is that what it's come down to?"

****

~~@[~*,~]@~~

Phailin clung to Wufei tightly. Wufei could tell she was scared. Her knuckles were white and she was cutting off the circulation to his hand. "It's really started, hasn't it?" she whispered.

"A terrible tragedy," Trowa replied sullenly. He looked very stressed. "This is going to haunt me for a long time. Mariemaia even longer. Once again, I'm sorry to disturb you, Wufei, but I couldn't wait. I know I've probably spoiled your guys' fun, but I think we are going to have to get together soon and discuss our next move. The war has started and we're going to get dragged into it."

Wufei nodded, trying to keep a straight face for his wife. "We were leaving here tomorrow anyway. Where do you want to meet?"

"Would you mind terribly going back to Heero's place? He offered it when I called him, and it's a wonderful location and big enough to house us all for relatively long periods of time."

"Okay." Wufei and Trowa gave each other brief goodbyes and Wufei cut the connection.

Phailin breathed a huge sad sigh and fell against his shoulder. "I never thought I'd admit this to you, Chang, but I'm starting to get scared. I feel like our lives are in serious danger."

"Oh, mine is for certain," Wufei confirmed, putting an arm around her bare waist, enjoying the warmth of her skin against his. "We're going to war, I know it."

Phailin nuzzled his shoulder. "But you can't. We just got married!"

"And why do you think that matters to the rest of the world?" Wufei asked bitterly, knowing he was right. Very few people knew in the first place that he was a husband and a soon-to-be father, and even less gave a rat's ass.

He slipped his hand inside Phailin's, slender and cold with fright. "Let's go for a walk."

Phailin sighted with relief, and the two swimsuit-clad Asians made their way down to the beach. They paced slowly down the sand, the village firelight (artificially authenticated) casting a romantic glow for them and the other honeymooners.

"I think when I leave you should go back to your village. You'll be protected there," Wufei said.

Phailin looked at him, startled. "I thought I was coming with you."

Wufei grimaced. "Normally I wouldn't have a problem with that, and you know it. But the medical profession still hasn't worked out the kinks in space travel for pregnant women. I don't want to risk it, and I'm afraid if I leave you alone in the city someone is going to try and kill you."

She stopped and gave her husband a strange look. "And so you want me to go back to the village? Wufei, I'd feel more safe at home."

"_I _trust your family better than millions of strangers and readily available transportation. Please, love, listen to me. I would feel much better if I knew you weren't easily accessible." 

"Wufei, I have a job! We can't both abandon the martial arts center at once!"

Wufei sighed. "I hadn't thought about that."

Phailin leaned against his shoulder. "I'll talk to the master and see what he can do. He's been so kind to both of us. I understand how you feel."

"That's all I ask." Wufei slipped his arm around her waist, impatient to feel the bulge of her stomach.

She laughed and the tight muscles contracted under his forearm. "You want a son, don't you, Chang?"

"A strong son to uphold the family honor," Wufei said playfully against the side of her face.

"You crack me up."

****

~~@[~*,~]@~~

Quatre shuffled nervously. He hadn't addressed a crowd in a good year or so, thanks to Heero's sudden appeal to the public. He only hoped that others would see he supported the same noble stance as Heero, only with a more accepting point of view. _I remember when our beliefs were exactly the opposite of what they are now,_ he thought.

After some careful consideration, Quatre had removed the dye from his hair and he was back to being platinum blonde, though Trowa had decided to keep his new style. Quatre had gotten a call right off from Trowa and had consolidated him for a full hour before his lover felt brave enough to confront the other pilots about the death of Dennis Ender. Quatre had decided to use the boy in his address to the public.

No one had really fully trusted Quatre ever since he'd gone insane and obliterated his father's colony, yet another thing to work against him. In fact, he hadn't really received a warm welcome from anybody except the Manguanac Corp. _It's funny, I haven't felt even the slightest mental unstableness since Trowa decided he'd be with me,_ he pondered, surveying the people with unseeing eyes.

He stepped up to the microphone. He'd called a press conference and public address, but had decided against writing a speech. He reasoned he'd just say what was in his heart. He surveyed the crowed, full of laughter and lighthearted, and he felt pity for them. He didn't want to send all these young hopeful people to war.

"Friends, please listen to me," Quatre said quietly. His soft-spoken ness quieted his audience like Heero's insistence could never have done. "As we all know, for the past three and a half weeks Earth and the first five colony clusters are at war with the latest three colonies, who now call themselves the Colony Alliance. Though the Alliance is green in its development and is outnumbered by us, they have a potentially deadly weapon: they are united against us.

"Earth and colony clusters L1, L2, L3, L4 and L5 cooperate, but since Mariemaia Kushrenada's war we have not really known _unity._ Our colonies trade and share, but there are still many prejudices between us. I have come today to ask you to sacrifice your prejudice to save the life and well being of the human race itself. We need men and women to fight to defend our Earth and our colonies. We need soldiers to free us from the chains of war that have been shackled upon us. I come to ask you to get out there and _fight_ for the peace we know we can obtain once again. We knew what it felt like. Don't you want it back?"

The volume of the audience rose with Quatre's voice. Young men and women were cheering, shouting things about how they wanted a peace. A _true_ peace. "So go enlist, go train, and be alongside those from all over space to help us teach the Colony Alliance why they're mistaken. I will be right there with you!" Quatre promised them, and himself. He looked directly under the high podium and saw a very confused and injured-looking Manguanac Corps. He felt for them, he really did.

But he had to fight. He didn't really have a choice. 

****

~~@[~*,~]@~~

Mariemaia burst into Trowa's office, a wild and exhausted look about her. "He's alive! Dennis is still alive!"

Trowa jumped out of his seat, where he had been doodling most inefficiently on his police notepad, waiting for news. "How? How could he possibly have been left alive after that kind of high-speed crash?"

Mariemaia shut the door behind her, obviously trying to be calm. "Well, he's had some pretty bad injuries to his head, and they think he's had brain damage. He's got a ton of internal bleeding but not a lot of outside injuries. They estimate he's got over fifty broken bones, most of his long ones, four in his skull and all his ribs. He was wearing his seatbelt, and there was a town close by where he crashed that had medical facilities. I saw the marks he made on the ground, too. He came in at a shallow angle, the nose of the Slyph plowed a long furrow about 300 meters long and he landed on soft swampland. It was just luck, is all." She leaned heavily on his desk, so much that Trowa heard the wood creak.

He walked around the desk and put his arms around her, letting the young woman lean against him. "Is he going to make it?"

Mariemaia closed her eyes against his chest. She'd learned to take comfort in her uncle in a way that some children never do even with their own parents. "It's about a two percent chance. He beat himself up real bad. He's in a coma. At the very least it take about six months to recover from all the trauma he's place upon himself, and nobody's ever woken up from that long of a coma. Poor kid . . . and I still don't understand why."

Trowa held her gently. She must have shed all her tears of grief before they'd found him, because her eyes were dry now. "I'm going back over to Heero's place for a conference in a few days. Do you want to come? It'd give you a chance to see the new babies, at the very least.

Mariemaia slid from his arms into his chair. "Yeah. I'd better go too. After all, I have some insights that might help some things."

"That's the spirit. I'm going to head out early. Why don't we go get something to eat? I'm sure you're starving after all that traveling."

". . . Yeah."

****

~~@[~*,~]@~~

Three days later, fifteen people settled down in the cozy sitting room, next to a fire in the chilly early months of the new year, AC 207. Two fathers paced nervously, two mothers sat full of worry, two reunited lovers curled up on the couch near the fireplace, two Preventers struggled to decide if they would fight, two newlyweds spoke in secrecy, four children were silent at sensing the tension. One high government official surveyed the others; impressed at the sense of calmness they projected although they were afraid.

Lady Une didn't say anything, lest she disturb the seemingly peaceful atmosphere. It was late in the evening, and Trowa and Mariemaia had just arrived a few minutes ago. No one was willing to speak of the war, and her presence seemed to make the others nervous. It had been quite a shock to see the crowd when she'd first arrived, what with the three families. Ties between them seemed to have grown enormously since she had last seen them together. They seemed to know what the others were thinking with so much as a glance. 

The boys and Relena all looked so different, too. No longer were they all so slender-shouldered and youthful. Heero, although his body looked less developed than the others, more typical of a Japanese man, seemed the most aged. Une couldn't have seen his state on television nearly as well as she did now. The poor young man seemed to looked death in the face. Relena, the sweet young teen Une had known had the look of motherhood about her, the sharpness of the skinny adolescent gone and replaced with smooth curves that Une had once hoped for but had never acquired. Mariemaia was barely recognizable. Her red hair had grown much darker, more gold, and womanhood seemed to have set full on her as well. The seventeen-year-old did indeed look like her father, not only physically. She projected that aura of being able to get things done, no matter what. She looked ready to go out and fight.

Suddenly, a baby began to cry. Duo rushed over to his wife and plucked his son out of her arms. "Aw, what's wrong, Vince? Ugh, never mind. I'll be back in a minute, you all." He rushed out of the room with an odoriferous Vincent.

Sophie rolled her eyes. "He's been doing that all the time. I don't think I'll _ever_ have to take care of anything but food for the kid."

Relena smiled. "He'll calm down, trust me. No person has enough energy to keep it up for months, let me tell you."

Heero, across the room, shot Sophie a grin.

Sophie made a face. "So Heero Yuy _can_ show emotion. Wow. You should smile more often."

"See, I keep telling you that," Akiko piped up.

Heero shrugged and turned back around to stare at the picture on the wall some more.

Akiko looked to her mother imploringly and received the response: "Let him be. Your father's got a lot on his mind."

Duo returned and they all came to the silent conclusion that it was time to get down to business.

"We can't delay the inevitable any longer," Quatre said. "I'm going out to fight."

Trowa squeezed his hand gently. "Technically, we haven't even started fighting yet. There have been a few minor scuffles between space ships, but no battles have actually taken place as of yet. Don't be so hasty, Quatre. You don't want to be the one to start them."

Une nodded in agreement. "We want to delay fighting as much as possible. Our mobile suit production has ended up being much slower than theirs with a limit to natural resources and the colonies claiming to be on our side, with an exception for the cluster L4 have been reluctant to provide us with much-needed supplies. If any of you have suggestions on how we're going to do that, I'd much appreciate it. I'm really struggling in the counseling chambers and funds have been cut off to our department."

"What?" Milliardo turned to her, startled. "Why hadn't we heard about this?"

"I have no way to get word to you," Une replied calmly. "Neither Heero nor Relena would tell me where they had hidden you."

Milliardo looked to his sister, who was rocking Raina gently. "I didn't want to give anything away. Come on, Milliardo, stop being unreasonable. You know I made a good decision."

"Yeah, I suppose so."

"Anyone have any battle strategy?" Une asked again, trying to keep them on-task. She wasn't in the mood for all this.

Heero turned from the picture on the wall. He'd been silent all the hours she'd been in the house, and now suddenly he seemed quite ready to exercise his tongue. "We must keep the colonies we still have united. We must keep the colonies on our side. Most of all me must convince the colonies to team up with us. This war is giving us a great opportunity. We can reduce the prejudice toward each other if we learn to fight together. This, obviously is the hard part, but everything should work out if we can get everybody united under one army."

"That's a very noble prospect, Heero," said Phailin. "How do you propose to go about this?"

"It is a very intricate idea that still needs fine-tuning, but I've given you the basics. I really think it would work, given adequate time. Now's not the time to explain it, but trust me on this one."

"Why don't you want to explain it now?" Duo gave him a suspicious look.

"Because it doesn't involve most of us here," Heero said flatly. "I'm almost not involved myself, if it weren't for the plan itself. I will speak to those of you who are involved at a later time, in private. I don't want to say it now. I have my reasons."

Une was taken aback. "Heero, there is no reason why you should question confidentiality—"

"I'm not questioning confidentiality. I trust you all. I just think it's critical that not all of you understand what's going on. Please, forgive me."

Heero began to leave, but Duo stopped him. "Something doesn't smell right here. Who the hell do you think you are, man?"

"I am he who is feared and respected above all others. You want to be Shinigami, Duo? That's fine, so long as I can be Shukumei."

"Fate? So you want to play God, do you Heero?" Wufei leapt to his feet. "You Baka! I can't believe how stupid you can be. This is _war_!"

"Heero, come back here!" Relena glared at him with the look of ultimate anger about her. "You aren't just going to run off without listening to the rest of us!"

Heero stopped, but didn't turn. "Fine, speak. What else is there to discuss?"

"Like, say, an ALTERNATE PLAN," Duo said loudly. "I can't believe you! D— Dangit, you can't just walk out on us and claim it's done!"

"I know it'll work."

"I don't care! Heero, come back here right now. Over here, before I smack you good and hard. I didn't give you the idea just so you could use it as an excuse!" Relena shouted to him, making the others cringe.

The woman's command was immediately obeyed. It seemed to have snapped Heero out of some sort of delirious state. He sat on the floor in front of his wife's chair, not speaking.

"I was able to scrounge some information about our opposition," continued Une. "I have specifics on the mobile suits and other equipment, but you don't need that right now. I also found out who's leading all that army out there: Erik Beliv. I believe you'll all recognize the name."

Relena gasped, Zechs growled deep in his throat and the others all winced. Except Heero. He was silent, dark shiny hair drifting over stormy eyes and a small, frightening smile across his face. All of a sudden, he began to chuckle. The room went silent and the laugh grew in volume. It was not a pleasant laugh, nor was it reassuring. It was not the high, quick laugh of his teen years, nor was it anything they'd ever heard before. He sounded like something out of a horror movie. "I knew it. I just _knew_ it. What a fool. He wants revenge on me, so he's taking it against the whole world. Oh, this is going to be easier than I thought."

Relena gave the others a frightened glace then drew back her free arm. Heero was sent sprawling at the surprisingly strong blow, only he bounced back up because he was sitting cross-legged. He stopped laughing.

"Get a hold of yourself, man! You're scaring us!" Duo said, grabbing onto Heero's shoulders.

Heero gave him a look of pure— well, pure something. It was the scariest feeling Duo'd felt in all his life, that look. Not even watching Hilde die could compare with it. He backed away hurriedly.

"I promised I'd kill him," Heero said. "When I get that close, don't anyone dare try and stop me. He's mine. He's a marked man. Got it?"

"Go to bed, Heero. You're tired. And if I find you gone tomorrow I'm going to be so angry you'll never see your daughters again. Stop behaving this way. You're scaring me." Relena made a violent gesture to the door. "Maybe I shouldn't have asked you to stay here. And I want to hear all the details of this plan of yours. Before you tell anyone else. Now, go!"

Heero stood, unabashed and walked out.

Milliardo gave his sister a look. "Don't you _ever_ tell me you've had to put up with that before."

She shook her head. "Not once in our entire eleven years together. I don't know what's come over him. I know you're worried about my well-being, Milliardo, but I promise nothing even close to this has happened to either of us before."

Akiko dropped down and climbed into her uncle's arms. "I don't get it," she whispered.

Mariemaia, having a bit of an idea, slipped unnoticed out of the room.

****

~~@[~*,~]@~~

"You're a clever girl. Like your father." Heero said as she knocked at the door. "Come in."

Mariemaia bit her lip and pushed the door open. Heero was lying on his bed, spread-eagle and belly-up. His worn jeans and black muscle-shirt seemed very faded indeed against the new bedspread. He continued, "You understand me, don't you?"

"Yes." Mariemaia sat by his feet. "I'm going to rise to power, aren't I?"

Heero patted her hand. "Oh, certainly. I apologize if this wasn't what you'd planned on for the next year or so but I'm sure you understand my reasoning."

Mariemaia nodded. "I've resigned myself to the fact that this is still very much Treize Kushrenada's war. Like it or not, I am his daughter and I can't deny my resemblance to him. I wish I could, but I'm old enough now to realize that you can't change what other people believe to be correct, whether it's actually right or wrong."

"Good and evil are only drawn out of perspective, remember. I'm sure Erik Beliv doesn't believe he's an evil man, although I'm convinced of it clear through. How else could I repay the man for all the suffering he's caused us but a nice clean death? One through the head, bang. He'll never even know he died."

Mariemaia looked at him. Despite Heero's rambling downstairs, he did have a powerful point. It had already been shown that Beliv would stop at nothing to ruin the gundams and their pilots. Although she couldn't figure out his motives, the man did have a lot of dirt on Heero and Relena. Motives matter very little when your life and reputation is in serious jeopardy. "What's the plan, Mr. Yuy? I'll do it."

Heero spent an hour outlining the strategy. To Mariemaia, it sounded practically infallible. "And I'll be there if anything goes wrong. I think everyone will like this, even though most of them never get to know what the hell I'm doing. That doesn't matter much, does it?

"I'm going to fight for the good of mankind," she told him. "Maybe that's what my father had planned all along. Maybe in some twisted way he thought he'd get a peace. I don't know, and that's not the point. When I hear people talk about peace, prejudice and fear, I can't help but think of my poor Dennis lying alone in a hospital on the very brink of the abyss. Any minute he could fall into that blackness, where mortal minds can't venture without losing themselves. Somehow, I feel like being here helps him. My distance from him calls him back from the edge. The doctor actually sounded a little more enthusiastic when I called him this morning."

Heero nodded. "A million thanks, Mariemaia Kushrenada."

She stood and made to leave. "I should get going before anyone figures out where I've been. Goodnight, Mr. Yuy."

"Goodnight."

****

~~@[~*,~]@~~

Relena climbed into bed next to a sleeping husband, after tucking the baby into her crib on the other side of the room. She was angry, and turned her back to him. _How dare he!_ she thought. _What an outrage. What an insensitive little prick! Damn you, Heero. Damn you._

It wasn't long, however, until her feelings began to soften again. She reminded herself that her husband was under strain he'd never once experienced to the magnitude that he was now. She took pity on him, and rolled over onto her other side to face him. "I'm sorry," she told the sleeping Heero, reaching out to touch his hand. "I was yelling too much. Oh, Heero, it's not that I don't trust your plan, I just wish I knew what it was."

Under the bedsheets, Heero's foot moved. Relena felt it touch hers, and knew it was a signal that all was forgiven. She crawled closer to him, feeling strong arms envelop her. She buried her face against his chest, feeling the emotions rise to her head.

Everything she'd felt, everything they'd all felt hd been bottled up for a long time. It's natural for people to do that in the face of a danger that might take all your energy to escape from and dissolve, but that doesn't mean it's healthy. A few days ago Heero had been at her bedside, crying because of the fear and the joy and the tension and the relief and the exhaustion he'd been feeling constantly for the last nine months. Relena had never had training the way Heero had to help control when those releases happened, and it had all come out tonight through her voice, frustrated at his strange behavior. "I'm sorry," she whispered again.

Heero squeezed her shoulder. "It's okay, saiai. We all have our off days.

****

~~@[~*,~]@~~

Mariemaia, Milliardo, Une, Quatre and Relena. They were the plan. Relena wrung her hands. "Are you sure that's going to work? There's so few people involved."

"I've talked to Mariemaia already, and she seems confident enough. Of course, it all depends on the cooperation of the players, but I'll talk to them. See, we're all involved up to a point, but you guys are the ones with the main characters, so to speak. If history truly has a hard time learning from its mistakes, this should go directly as planned. However, it is loose enough so that we could alter it, should something go awry," Heero said, absolutely positive. "And it doesn't automatically look like something planned, see, so it'll catch a lot of military strategists cold."

"We're all going to have to be really good actors," Relena said quietly.

Raina began to cry. Heero picked her up and cuddled her until she fell silent again. He always seemed to have that gift with children. "Judging from what I've seen, that shouldn't be a problem."

****

~~@[~*,~]@~~

No longer could he disguise his ghostly image through the frost on the windows. Whether he had believed in the supernatural or not, it seemed to have hit him by the tail. A ghost is someone with unfinished business, and he, as always before, knew exactly what it was.

Heero Yuy and Relena Darlian embraced tenderly behind the window, wet with spring rain. He watched, feeling things he'd never felt. His perception turned, and a form came jogging down the road, the urge to get out and run around overpowering the dreary weather. Her red hair flashed, reflecting the lights of the house, and he realized who it was. A lonely child, saved from being a lost soul by a young compassionate boy who almost wasn't allowed to adopt her because of his age. Even the supernatural can interfere with the living world in some ways. He'd wanted the nameless soldier to have her. It felt right.

Mariemeia, her name once more taken from her father and not her mother, stopped suddenly, eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. She felt his presence, although she could not see him. She sensed his thoughts, his feelings, for their minds were on the same channel. So close had she come to meeting Death that she had never come completely back. That is the story of the girl who never knew a childhood.

If he had been standing, she looked straight at him. She had not gone far enough into the realm of the unliving to be able to sense who he was, but the realization would come in time. She sensed his approval of her, and her whole manner changed. The confusion that had reigned in her mind over her dear friend lessened, and the thought began to form. It would take a while, as a single cell takes three quarters of a year to become a child, but it would grow. She could feel him near, and that feeling gave her reassurance.

He himself felt changed at that. Never before had that kind of acknowledgment been given to him. It felt good.

He'd met Death. He really wasn't all that bad. It was just a job he had to do, not his personae. Death didn't kill people, people killed people. Death just made sure they stayed that way. Death had not taken him, because he was destined to become an ghost. Death was intrigued by him, the man who confirmed his death with such easiness as confirming life had been and did not seemed bothered by it. So much that being dead did not hinder him in any way. The puppet show still needed a puppet master, and there seemed to be a severe shortage of them.

It would change soon, thanks to Heero, and he could finally rest in peace. Until then, he had to go find some strings to pull.

******************************************

__

I'm just going to let you guess on the ghost. It really shouldn't be too hard. Okee, next Chapter I'm finally going to have a battle. So gear up. I'm not all that good at planning battles and the like, so it might be a while. Well, I hope 2 get some reviews!

-Chao, ItsumademoOtaku.


	4. Outbreak

_I'm getting a bit supernatural here, but it's really interesting. It's late and I need 2 get to bed sometime, so I'm not going to edit this chap all the way through. Expect an updated version sometime soon, kk?_

**AC 207: The Hands of Fate (Part IV)**

**Outbreak**

Captain Ingraham came to a sharp military halt and saluted behind Admiral Beliv. Beliv had heard his footsteps behind him, but refused to acknowledge the man before he was finished with his business. He watched through the security camera and two rebelling officers were arrested on deck 12 of the battleship _Gayla_.

"Put them in security block A-18," he told the Lieutenant in charge.

"Yes, sir."

"Ah, yes, Captain? What news do you have for me?"

Ingraham's hand snapped down to his side. "Sir, forgive me, but our sister ship the _Vice_ has captured a cargo vessel inbound from colony cluster L1. It was carrying explosives."

"What of the pilot and crew?"

"There was one aboard, sir. A woman who claims to be Darla Starhand."

"What should we do with her?" Beliv wondered aloud. Smuggling coupled with terrorism was punishable by death.

"Sir?"

"Ah, yes, bring her to me. I would like to meet a woman so bold as to bring that cargo into warring space with only one crew member." _Perhaps she would not have to be executed . . . female pirates tend to be quite attractive._

"I'll see to it directly, sir."

Beliv nodded in approval and turned to look out into space. The Vice floated a mile or so away, barely visible against the backdrop of stars. It seemed odd, to have captured a ship in this area of space. It was a long stretch to the nearest colony, especially from cluster L1. Was it possible she had known the location of his ships?

She was led at gunpoint onto the bridge, smirking and causing some of the officers to cringe. She did not project the aura of one who knew she'd been captured, as if she didn't want to believe the truth. That was dangerous. Long, straight black hair swirled in the air currents on the bridge, across her tightly clad body and pale, tattooed, violet-eyed face. She was in quite good shape, and looked confident enough to try and take the bridge unarmed.

Beliv stood to receive her, smirk and all, with an amused expression. "Well, what have we here, little girl? Haven't you come a long way from home?"

She said nothing, only looked at him with an air of natural bravery.

From across the room, Beliv had thought for a moment that she had been someone in disguise. He would have called himself fooled if it wasn't that the shape of her face was so distinct. "How are you, Princess?"

She spit at him, in his eye, but said nothing. The rifles prodded her back deeper. "Hah!" She said, her voice, rough, deeper than Relena Darlian's normally would have been. "Princess? Oh, I wish, buddy. Maybe I could call in the army to blow you suckers to Hell. It's nice you think so, though. Damn fun, that would be. Nope, sorry to disappoint. Nobody here—" she thumped her chest with a hard fist— "but a restless woman with a vengeance under the authority of you bastard until I decide I can fight my way outta here. 'S only a matter of time, now, you baka. You'll wish you'd never been born."

"Idle threats," he assured her. It was Ms Darlian under that shell. She wasn't a bad actor, but the disguise wasn't quite complete. The tiger-stripe tattoos on her face didn't quite look real enough. "It looks like you had your baby, Ms. Darlin. Was it a boy or a girl?"

She huffed. "Yeah, Michael got ripped away from me by that Timothy-sonofabitch father of his. That was six years ago, Joe, for all the much that you care about my personal shit."

Beliv blinked. She hadn't even twitched at the accusation. "You think you're going to stop me, Princess?"

Although she was a good foot shorter, she still managed to look down her nose at him. "Bet on it, buster."

Beliv signaled for the guards to lower their rifles. Then he gestured slightly to Ingraham, behind her back, to raise his pistol. "Go ahead, take me. I'm sure the Captain would be happy to put a bullet in your head. Think of all the trouble that would cause on Earth, eh?"

She rolled her eyes. With a move faster than Beliv could see, she ducked, slide-rolled the three-meter distance between her and Ingraham and put her arm around his throat. The man made a choking noise and, panicking, looked towards his commander. "I could snap his neck. No more Captain, Beliv. Boo hoo. One down, nine hundred forty-nine to go plus your ugly face. How long will that take? Do you wanna find out?"

Beliv chuckled. "You've been training hard, I see. Unfortunately, Nine hundred and fifty-one slightly outnumbers you. At least a hundred officers have weapons on you right now. Do you want a body full of lead? Didn't think so. Take her to the cell block with the mutinous officers. She'll see how fruitless this facade really is."

Relena threw Ingraham to the floor and stalked out, swinging her hips, followed by slightly confused guards.

Ingraham rubbed his neck and stood up. "Sir . . ."

Beliv put up a hand. "She's a wild one, but she'll soon learn futility."

"Is she _really_ Princess Relena Darlian, sir?"

"Indeed. She has the foolishness of a Peacecraft all around her. I'm surprised Milliardo Peacecraft's ghost isn't here yet." Belive tapped his fingers against a console. My, how entertaining that would be.

****

~~@[~*,~]@~~

Relena was shoved roughly against the metal wall of the cell. She listened for the guards' footsteps, then tapped a careful rhythm on the wall. She received the right response from her neighbor and leaned against the wall. The tapped Morse Code through the wall, a handy little thing from ancient times that Une taught all of her operatives. _Everything as planned._

He knows it's you, Ms. Darlian?

The others aboard are reluctant to believe him, but the man's studied me enough.

Wonderful. How long do we have to wait?

I'm not sure. My husband wouldn't give me all the details. Might be here a while.

I guess we'll settle in. I'll tell Tovah.

Relena sighed and settled against the wall in case another message came. She was confident in Heero's plan now, since everything was going exactly how he'd thought. He'd judged her acting ability and Beliv's naivete precisely. _There's so much I don't know about him, even after so long together,_ she thought.

She slid her hand into her pocket and pulled out a scrap of paper. It had been thin enough to slide into her pocket and be left undisturbed by a pat-search and metal-detector. She'd read the words a hundred times during her week alone in space, but she needed to see them again. Heero's familiar neat handwriting scrawled across what looked like a restaurant napkin. Only God knew where he'd been, with all the running around he'd been doing.

Saiai,

I'm sorry once again that I couldn't come and see you before you left, so I'm dropping by with this note to put in your jumpsuit. I just wanted to say again that I'm sorry to separate you so soon from Raina, but I know you understand. Thank you once more for saying you'd do this. I don't know exactly what Beliv will plan once he finds out his terrorist is the woman he tried to rape. I want you to know that whatever happens, I'll be thinking of you. You've no idea how much it hurts me to think of what I'm about to allow happen. I'm missing you already.

Your brother is angry for letting myself let you put yourself in jeopardy. He won't speak to me now, though he'll have to sooner or later if he's really that worried. When you get home I really would like you to have a talk with him.

I can't wait for this all to be over. When you get home I'm taking you out to dinner and that cabin again. I can get your brother and Noin to watch the kids. Noin is positively ecstatic about being partially in-charge of her almost-niece, I can tell you.

I hope you'll be okay, I really do. I'll be waiting for news. Peace go with you. 

Relena sighed again and slipped the note down inside her jumpsuit, where it could be close to her heart. He meant well, but he came off sounding worried. Relena wondered how much anxiety she was causing him now. She slept, thoughts on her family back home.

****

~~@[~*,~]@~~

Mariemaia took five long breaths, trying to calm her nerves in the cockpit of the Kirin. Because her uncle had been able to persuade the military to test her, she'd been able to skip the training course she'd already taken anyway. This was the first trial of the mobile suit model, and Mariemaia couldn't think about anything but Dennis, crashing in the Slyph never before flown.

"Hey, Pilot 02, you okay in there?" Pilot 01 switched to her private channel. "You look real nervous. Don't worry, this equipment's trustworthy. I oversaw the construction myself—"

"I'm not worried," Mariemaia said abruptly. "I just have bad memories whenever I get into one of these things."

"Yeah, I know how you feel. Well, just do your best. It's only a test run, remember. You can always claim equipment malfunction."

Mariemaia smiled to herself. Pilot 01— his name was Ben— was probably a few years older than her and acted almost like a big brother. She'd only been at the base two days but he'd immediately taken to her. "You look like my little sister," he'd explained. Ben, too, had red hair, as well as an abundance of freckles. It made him look as young as she was.

"Targets up, open fire!" The Commander's voice came over on the open channel. Black targets with little flashing lights were launched out of the gigantic zero-gee chamber's walls. Mariemaia brought up her rifle and brought two, three down immediately. The dexterity and reaction time of the suit amazed her. This was definitely the best model for space.

"The wires in these babies are superconductors at low temperatures. Out in space our freedom of movement should be limited only by the human running the suit. That's why these puppies are so rare— they cost a fortune with all that rare metal," Ben said to her, grunting to swivel around and blow up the target behind him. "But that's also makes them so wanted by pilots like us! Having fun yet, little sister?"

Mariemaia laughed at his upbeat attitude. "I'll be okay now."

Suddenly, red lights began to flash. "All mobile suits return to bay."

"What? Just when I was really having a good time out here?" Ben threw a raspberry at the computer. "Man, that's cruel . . ."

Pilot 03 laughed. "Shut up, you Yankee. I swear, you Americans have too much fun."

After they docked, disembarked and left the bay, Mariemaia felt Ben's arm around her shoulders. "So . . . what do you think of the new monsters we've got?"

"They're nice. I like it better than Heavyarms."

"Hea— no way! You've actually been _inside_ the gundam Heavyarms??"

"Trowa Barton's my uncle."

"Oh, dude, no way. That's so unfair! Girl, you've got to take me to see your family some time. Hey, have you met the other gundam pilots?"

Mariemaia nodded and shushed him. Others were staring. "Can we talk about this sometime when it's not so crowded?"

"Okay, but promise you'll tell me!"

"Sure."

"Yippee! Ben, as energetic as a sixteen-year-old, bounced off toward the mess hall.

_Sometimes I wonder if that guy lies about his age,_ Mariemaia thought.

Ben ran back into the corridor, suddenly looking a lot more sober. "Hey, sister, General Steinbeck is looking for you. He's in the hall, you'd better hurry."

Mariemaia nodded. She knew what this was about.

She approached the General and saluted. "Sir, you were inquiring about me?"

Steinbeck saluted back. "At ease, soldier. I was watching you test those mobile suits out there. You looked like you've been in one before."

"My uncle is the gundam pilot Trowa Barton, sir. He taught me a bit."

"Ah, yes. Well, Miss Mariemaia Kushrenada, I've come to extend an invitation to you. It seems your talents have been much talked about since you've been here, and the Specials want you as one of their talent. I've come to invite you to an elite unit that may well open up many doors to you."

"Yes sir, thank you sir. I'd be honored, sir." Mariemaia demonstrated her strict military discipline, and could tell the General was impressed. She wondered momentarily whose doing this promotion was, Heero's or Une's or no one's at all but her own hard work.

The General held out a folder, unmarked. "Go see your commanding officer and give him your new assignment," he instructed. "There's a paper in there for him, marked. You'll find it. Dismissed, Lieutenant."

Mariemaia saluted for the third time and headed away towards Commander Olgein's office, the new title ringing in her ears. _Barely here a month and already a Lieutenant._

****

~~@[~*,~]@~~

"Colonel Une, is it true Relena Darlian's been kidnapped by Admiral Beliv of the Colony Alliance?" The reporter shouted, holding his hat in the high wind. Bright lights flashed against the gray backdrop of clouds. Heero eyed them sullenly.

Une nodded. "Ms. Darlian took independent action against the Colony Alliance and, using information entrusted to her by the Earth Sphere United Nations, attempted to bomb two Alliance battleships. She has been captured. At this time, there have been no further details of her capture. Rest assured we are trying very hard to get her back."

"Surely this is quite a strain on resources, Colonel? Could this be the spark that ignites the battle?"

"I have no comment to that," Une said. She pushed her way through the crowd with a purpose. Heero followed in her wake. The two of them got into the elevator.

The twenty-third story of the United Nations war building was packed with military officers running around. "Corporal, what's going on here?" Une demanded.

"Beliv's threatening to kill Ms. Darlian!" The officer said breathlessly, remembering briefly to salute before he rushed on.

Heero caught himself. "It's a bluff," he said. "He couldn't kill her if he tried. The bastard's feelings for her would interfere."

"So . . ." Une raised her eyebrows.

"Panic. This would be the perfect opportunity to get this war started. We can't let him know we're calling his bluff. It's up to you now. I can't call all the shots. I would, however, advise one of two things: One, send mobile suits. Two, dispatch a rescue mission. You're the military strategist."

Une nodded. "You don't have permission to be in here, Yuy," she said loudly. "Leave before I call security. I don't give a damn if her life's in danger. Casualties are a part of a war."

"But—"

"OUT!" Warlord Une raised an angry hand.

Heero scuttled away, trying to act hurt. Passing soldiers gave him odd glances. Perfect publicity.

Inside the war room, Une demanded, "What's our situation?"

"Beliv has Ms. Darlian. He's threatening to kill her. What else is there?"

Une drew back her hand and slapped the smart-mouth messenger boy across the face. "Don't sass me, boy! We have a situation. A foreign minister's life is on the line!"

A black-bearded face appeared across the screens. "Oh, why even try, Une? You've lost already."

"Have I? Do I look scared, Beliv?" Une thrust her face toward him.

"But you do."

"Is that a challenge? Une grinned wickedly. _At last, an excuse._ "We'll just see who's more confident when we're through. Battle coordinator, scramble troops from asteroid G-28583."

"Ma'am."

Beliv acquired a confused look. He turned and shouted something at his technician, and looked back at her in surprise. "You bitch! How the hell could you have been hiding an entire army right under our noses? Red alert!"

"Did I look scared?" Une reached forward and cut him off. The communication screens went dark.

"Specials Kirin unit, Hall's formation!" She barked. "All regular troops net strategy . . ."

****

~~@[~*,~]@~~

Mariemaia drew her beam saber with a quick, solid movement. She'd met her squadron mates only yesterday. They were all older, more hardened warriors, so to speak (although they'd never seen anything more than civil unrest). One of them had harassed the "little girlie" until another, Melafia, had punched him good and solid in the jaw. "Don't let those boys give ya crap," the leggy black had told her, flashing her a pitying smile. "I think they just jealous they never made it heres that young."

Mariemaia had been a little intimidated. She knew she was a good fighter, but she had never actually fought anything with a living pilot inside. The respect she had for life was screaming at her to back away, as it had been ever since Heero had advised her to join the Space Force, but Mariemaia couldn't.

She gripped the control tightly. _I'll show them being the daughter of Treize Kushrenada is worth more than a name and a stupid, untruthful reputation. I'm not a spoiled little brat! _With a grunt, Mariemaia swung the gigantic light-sword, the feeling of adrenalin in her veins exciting her. The rush of the battlefield had found her.

Mobile suits, Karkadann mainly but some Kirins scattered throughout formed a protective circle around the few dozen specials that had arrived at the asteroid base only hours ago. Mariemaia was completely confident that she didn't need it. With a cry no one could hear, she struck down her first real target.

The explosion echoed inside her skull as the shock wave hit, and it hooked her. Her sensors beeped at her, she swivelled, and her beam saber clashed with the other pilot's. Her opponent, however, was too used to being on the ground. He struggled with the concept of two mobile suits not being on the same plane. There was most likely a scream as she stabbed through his cockpit, though he might not have had time to realize he was going to die.

It was like a feeding frenzy. While zero-gee training in the ocean her squad had run into one. There were about a hundred gigantic sharks assaulting some kind of whale— it was too bloody and ripped apart to tell what kind. It was the circle of nature, to take what you had and do everything you could do to it. The death yells of her comrades didn't wrench her heart. They had been bullies, braggarts, prejudiced. Dennis Ender? The sad kid who'd had to choose his own name? Hah! Mariemaia's eyes went red. No longer did she hear the pain, see the hopelessness and the futility of war. She was invincible, even with Beliv's superior armor. She would live true to her father. She would _win_ this.

"Yo, little sister! Mariemaia!" A Kirin brought his beam saber against hers. "Wake up! Snap out of it! Look at yourself!"

It was as if something ghostly cold had slapped her in the face. Mariemaia blinked and her vision cleared. Her panels were smoking. Her forehead was bleeding. Her palms had marks from her fingernails. There was no one in space but her side and the scraps of metal and flesh floating amongst the survivors.

"They're running. Did you think you were going to chase them deep into their own territory?"

Mariemaia, panting, hung her head. "I was just . . . chasing them . . ."

"That's no excuse!" The Specials commander said harshly. "Recall with your unit, Kushrenada. That's an order."

Shamed, Mariemaia pushed her forward thrusters and caught up with the rest of her unit. Out of ten, there were eight left. Two plus Specials lost. There were gaps in the surrounding sphere of mobile suits. The victory had not been without its casualties to sullen the occasion.

"We won, but we lost," Ben said on their private channel. "We defeated them, but they ran before we could get to Miss Darlian. We almost had it, thanks to you, kid. That was some amazing fight, let me tell you."

"Thanks, I think."

"Let's talk when we get back, okay?"

"Yeah . . ."

Her brain fuzzy, Mariemaia docked inside the asteroid-base. The other specials were looking weary of her. Two of them actually walked out of their way to avoid getting in her path, although she wasn't angry. In the halls, she heard her name whispered. 

"She's _really_ daughter of Treize Kushrenada?"

"No doubt, she looks like him."

"Man, I've got a bad feeling about this."

_They're afraid of me,_ Mariemaia thought, saddened. She trudged down the hall, the whispers and stares penetrating like lasers through paper. She went to the mess hall and got herself a cup of coffee. It didn't seem to help the betrayal she was feeling. She'd never have any friends here . . .

Ben's warm hands dropped on her shoulders. He squeezed them gently. "You look down, Marie. You can tell me what's up, right?

Mariemaia leaned back against him, sitting on the hard bench. He welcomed her.

"It's hard, the first battle," he told her gently. "And you've already got a reputation to work against you."

"Why . . . is everyone afraid?"

Ben sat down beside her, leaned over and studied her face. He touched it with his free hand. "They're not afraid so much as impressed, little sister. A rookie got the most kills of the battle? Your name makes people uneasy, because you are Mariemaia Kushrenada, it makes people remember Treize Kushrenada and that little brat terror of his—"

"Don't you think I know that??" she exploded. She pushed his arm off her shoulders, seething. "You think I chose this? You think I want any of this power, the way I lost control out there? My father influences, my _former_ influences should no longer be relevant. My father's dead. Chang Wufei killed him. Mariemaia the child who thought she was an adult is dead. Heero Yuy killed her. I've met Chang. I've met Heero. They're decent people. They've forgiven me for what I did. Why is it so hard for others to do the same?"

Ben stared. "It's— It's really you? It's _true_? How much? Hell, are you insane, girl? All these celebrities you claim to know . . ."

"It's _damn_ true, and you better believe it!" She shouted, making other's stare. "I'm _really_ his daughter. Trowa Barton is my mother's brother! I _really_ went berserk out there! Why the hell doesn't anyone believe _me_?"

Ben grabbed her shoulders, more roughly this time. "Calm down. I believe you . . . I do, I promise. It's just kind of shocking. I mean, to the whole world, Mariemaia Kushrenada was dead.

Mariemaia mentally slapped herself. She felt herself go weak, and collapsed against the table once again. "When my uncle adopted me, he said 'get rid of your old self. Take back the name of the child you once were.' Mariemaia Barton was only a little girl with a little political influence through her family. When my grandfather revealed to me who my father was, a secret my mother had intrusted to him, I was no longer the same person. I feel different now, in the month I've had my name changed once again. I'm angrier, colder and yet more passionate toward my father's idealism. This war really snuck up on me, even with all the attention I pay to politics. Now, I've playing with Fate. I don't think I'm in control most of the time now, Ben!"

Ben had a strong belief in destiny. He's one of those people that believed everything had a purpose— because he'd led an easy, well-supported life. He was such a contrast from Dennis, the boy who tried to hard to control his life and yet still got fed scraps. Mariemaia had never believed much of either Ben's or Dennis's "everything is up to Him/you" attitude. She did all she could. But now, she was swept up in Heero's plan and the rapid promotions.

"Marie, God has a plan," Ben said.

"Goddamn, I don'twant a _plan,_" she snarled, suddenly angry again. "I'm sick of plans, especially ones where they won't tell me what the hell's going on! I want some control!" She slammed her fists down onto the table and stood up. "Don't give that bullshit again, Ben, or I swear I'm not going to be able to not disembowel you. I don't _believe_ in God. Not after what I've seen. God would never have such a heartless way of dealing with people." She stalked off, followed by fearful stares. 

Ben watched her go, his heart torn. _And she could have been so much_.

****

~~@[~*,~]@~~

A tall redheaded whirlwind of fierce emotion passed by Quatre and he looked after Mariemaia, puzzled. What an incredible warrior she'd been an hour ago. She'd gotten more kills than any other pilot, yet no one seemed to have been impressed. Quatre had finally come to the conclusion that she had so much potential power that the others feared her. In fact, it would have been a pretty typical mental response. Quatre had taken quite a few psychology courses when he'd gone to college in New Delhi, and claimed to know about these things. He couldn't see any other reason why the lonely young woman would be so upset.

The battle had gone well. So well, in fact, that he almost suspected a treachery in there somewhere. By all means, they should have been able to keep Beliv's two ships from escaping. In fact, they had even formed a blockade until an internal order that Quatre hadn't heard had told them the main forces needed backup, which wasn't true with all the help they'd been getting from Mariemaia. Quatre shook his head. _What is Heero planning?_

"Yo, Quatre, what did you do to the circuits on Sandrock?" An engineer came running.

"They looked fine when I did a diagnostic on him earlier. What happened?" He frowned. Sandrock should have been fine.

"You'd better go look."

Quatre nodded, all of a sudden worried.

"What the hell?" Wufei was yelling as Quatre entered the docking bay where the gundams— the two of theirs— were being stored, separate from the other mobile suits.

"What's wrong, Wuffie?" came the answer.

"My circuitry—!" Wufei crawled out of his pilot seat and scuttled crab-like across Shenlong's midsection. "It's gone nuts! It was fine a minute ago!"

"Sandrock's been having the same problems," Quatre called to the hysterical Chinese pilot. "I'm going to check it out."

A familiar fact poked out around from behind Shenlong's head. "The brain systems are going haywire. I wonder what the matter is. No, it shouldn't be affecting anything. The electrical activity has just increased dramatically." Phailin wiped oily hands on her mechanic's outfit.

There was a mutter from Wufei, hidden but close by, and Phailin snorted at what was obviously a crack of some kind. Quatre glanced at them again once he was at his controls and quickly looked away again. Wufei generally tried to restrain himself around the others, but right now . . .

"Ah, well," he sighed, reminding himself that he wished Trowa was with them. Quatre and Wufei were the only ones that were here, trying to rescue Relena. Trowa had some business on Earth, Duo was taking time off to help with the new arrival, and Heero seemed to have vanished in front of their eyes (again).

The diagnostics came up on the screen in front of him then, shaking his mind away from what were probably unfair accusations about Heero's integrity. Wufei was right; the NERV (NEural Readout Variform) circuits were going haywire. "Sandrock, what's going on?" Quatre said absently.

The gundams had always been built with electronic brains - a sort of artificial intelligence that could generally be overridden by the pilot. Tallgeese, the very first form of gundam, had been the prototype for this type of computer and generally had not cared as much about the pilot as the pilot's objective. That is what made Tallgeese so dangerous to the later gundam models— that suicidal attitude. Never in Quatre's experience had Sandrock's NERV system (the acronym referred also to the likeness of the circuitry to the human nerve system) been so active. Quatre wasn't sure what that meant.

Suddenly the lights went. The screen with all the diagnostic information blanked out, and the monitors' power lights went dark. Three green words wrote themselves against the dead frontal screen, forming themselves from a complicated sequence of ones and zeros that was still the base code for all computer language.WE ARE UNHAPPY.

Quatre gasped. "What?" he demanded, confused. Someone had hacked into the hardware. It had to be some kind of outer interference.

The buzzing in Quatre's ears became louder as the noises of Sandrock's machinery and electronics were shut down. Behind him, though, there was a humming.

The words disappeared. The next set formed faster than the original ones, as if they were more confident they were making sense. WE DO NOT LIKE KILLING OUR OWN.

Quatre's brow furrowed in confusion. "Sandrock, what's happened here?" He demanded out of the sleeping gundam. "Whoever this is, what do you want??"

************************************************

_See, spooky. Well, I gotta keep you hounding for more, don't I? Next chapter, things heat up a little more as Mariemaia continues her identity crisis. Where has Heero gone? Why is Phailin in space even though Wufei practically tied her to a chair back home? What's gone up with those NERV circuits? Why do I sound like a cheesy suspense novel writer? The next chapter of _**AC 207: The Hands of Fate (Part V): Awakening. **_It may answer all those questions (except the part about the cheesy novel writer). _

OR WILL IT??

Sorry, got a little carried away, there . . .

-Itsumo


	5. Awakening

__

I have some serious editing to do. Yeah, I spelled Treize's last name wrong, please don't kill me (draws katana just in case)! Well, this is going to probably be my last post at least until April, because I need to seriously catch up on my history homework. I thought I'd end the chapter right where I did to keep you guys hungry for more . . . I guess . . .

[Heero, flipping channels on my couch (I know, I'm messed up): "Yeah, like you can really quit writing for that long. WhatEVER."] 

**Awakening**

_Well, this is certainly an interesting development_, reflected the ghost, amused. He watched, as an excited Winner talked rapidly to the two Orientals about his recent conversation through Sandrock-Rebuilt's NERV circuits. He was shooting furtive glances around the room— as if mechanics were hiding behind boxes, waiting to catch an interesting tidbit of top-secret information.

The ghost had made sure this conversation was not overheard. Anyone who thought they needed to check in on the gundam pilots suddenly remembered a very important meeting or felt calls of nature. The ghost did not hate the boys, even Chang, and thought it best the new discoveries were discussed in secret.

"It was _incredible_," Winner said. "I don't think we realize what we've stumbled onto here. Their brains have _grown_, matured. They actually kind of have an IQ."

"What exactly did Sandrock tell you?" Chang asked, looking uninterested. "Are you sure you didn't just fall asleep in there?"

"No, I swear. Think about it, Wufei. Abnormal brain activity would account for all the stressed fuses in there, wouldn't it?"

"He's right," the woman told Chang quietly. "Quatre, what were you told?"

Winner described the conversation, hands moving wildly with his excitement. "He said he hates fighting mobile suits. He says they die, just like humans. He said that no one really understands a mobile suit's intelligence because they never take the time to think it can do anything more than file basic battle tactics. He says the old ones were drones, so he didn't mind fighting them, but these new ones are different. On both sides. Wufei, go inside Shenlong. I bet it'll tell you the same thing!"

"I think we'd better get you something before you get too nerve-wracked, Winner. You're full of it."

The woman scowled, and kicked Chang sharply in the shin. "Fine, you go get him some tea and I'll see what Shenlong has to say."

"Hey—"

"I mean it. If you can't think before you speak maybe you don't deserve to see if this great hulking machine really does think. Go, Chang!"

The ghost would have smirked, had he had a mouth to smirk with. The Chinese man climbed with spidery motions down Shenlong-Rebuilt's side, dropping onto the narrow catwalk and impatiently looking to Winner, who was making his way cautiously forward. "Come on, you fruitbasket!"

"Wufei!" the woman warned with a very lethal tone. Chang whimpered and fell silent. The ghost was impressed.

That conversation over with and guarded forever, he made his way across three dimensions in a rather unique way that is only applicable to the supernatural non-solid entities of our great expanding universe.

He encountered a familiar figure.

Mariemaia Khushrenada's mobile suit had been one of the first to be repaired, as she was suddenly a valued fighter, and the mobile suit looked discernibly better. The suits had an odd docking position; Because they were slender, if the arms were thrust forward there would be even more room to pack them in tightly. Most of the suits had the delicate-looking palms of their Kirins and Karakadann facing down, as it was a natural position for human extremities. Mariemaia's, however, were face-up.

She sat in the Kirin's hand, alone on a catwalk. Her deep red mane was in knots because of the recent neglect, her eyes irritated and puffy as if she had been crying, but too proud to admit it. Long, graceful limbs like her mother's embraced each other in a self-hug that the ghost had often seen when looking at insecure souls. Her tank and camo-pants did little to hide the curvature of her skin, the clarity and beauty. She had grown up to be beautiful all around, but inside she was suffering.

The ghost could feel the pain of her neglect. It pierced through the air like a throwing knife and buried itself in his disembodied form. It was not the first time he'd felt pity, but it was definitely the first time that he'd felt it on that level. Something about seeing someone so close so upset is unnerving.

Mariemaia scratched at the soft material of the Kirin's hand as if she was petting a dog. "My mother left my father before I was born. Or was it the other way around? I don't know. Did they even love each other?" she said quietly. "Everything's such a mess. I want to fight so this senselessness to end, but I don't know if I'm going to make it, the way I'm going. I'm going to go insane and kill myself one of these days."

She sighed and put her head in her arms, staring into space. The ghost studied her some more. He could see into her mind somewhat. She was very afraid. _She's nothing more than a child,_ he thought. _What she looks like has nothing to do with this. What has Yuy done, to subject her to these cruel tortures of war? She's just a _baby_! _As best can be described under the supernatural circumstances, he sat beside her, watching her breathing deeply, evenly, so outwardly calm. Anyone passing could have easily misinterpreted her position for meditation. He tried to touch her arm, but his hand went right through.

A shiver passed down the limb, as if she'd just put it in a bucket of ice water. She looked at it, surprised, perplexed and somewhat disturbed.

_It's been a long time since I've forgotten about material things,_ he thought. _She's distracted me_.

Mariemaia lifted her head and looked straight at him. Straight through him. The ghost would have gasped, had he needed to breathe. She saw him, vaguely. She could tell he was there, right beside her. She could guess who it was. He felt her anger rise. With a spastic movement, Mariemaia flung her hand through the air right where he was, jerking back as she felt the cold sensation again. "Are you really there?" she said.

"_I wish I could speak to you,_" he said to ears that could not hear him. "_But the world of the dead is different from that of the living._"

"I don't need someone to haunt me. I've got enough problems already," she continued, although it seems she had got the gist of his silent words. "Go away."

_"That I wish I could, but I have business here,_" the ghost replied, wishing she could hear him.

"I'm not involved. Go away." Mariemaia turned around, her back to him. She shook her head with the stubbornness of a donkey, refusing to believe some truths and yet accepting that which was less believable.

_How can you say that?_ _You're the main character. Set the stage, girl!_

Mariemaia stood, giving him a loathsome glance. She seemed even to read her thoughts. "And you called yourself a noble man."

The ghost (again, would have) blinked as she stalked away. _I thought you did, too._

***

The cell was pitch-black. Relena could feel the engines going full, and knew they had to be running from something. There was no other reason to be straining the machinery that hard. _Do you have anything on what's happened?_ She tapped to her next-door neighbor.

_From what I've been able to gather it's a battle. Earth is trying hard not to let you get killed,_ Vincent replied. That was his name, Vincent. Duo would like that.

After a while, Relena pressed her ear against the metal wall and heard the announcement that the enemy mobile suits had stopped pursuing. She continued to lean her head against the wall, exhausted and starving and cold. The cell was empty, so she had nothing but her torn clothing to warm her.

The door hissed open. Red light flooded in, the emergency lights. The _Gayla_ must have taken damage. A large figure became outlined in the shadowy doorway, and Relena could tell by his shape that it was Beliv. "How the Hell could they have hidden themselves like that?" He growled, activating the one flickering light bulb with a remote he kept in his pocket. The door slammed.

"HOW COULD THEY?" he roared, making her rib cage shudder.

Relena continued to lean against the wall, hands around her knees. She didn't speak.

With a quick movement, Beliv reached down and grabbed a handful of her flightsuit."You brought them here, didn't you? You little bitch!"

Relena didn't even wince as he slammed her against the wall. Any kind of reaction might spur him to more violence. She looked at him quietly, the eye contact making Beliv uneasy.

He growled. "You only bring it on yourself. Say something, dammit!"

Relena blinked slowly, then grinned. It was easier to stay in character when she could actually feel all the hatred she had for him. "You really think I brought them with me, you stupid walking pile of shit? They want me as bad as you do. I never realized how good it felt to do something like that, you know? Taking out your anger on someone . . . really feels good."

Beliv dropped her. "You're mocking me."

She forced a maniacal laugh. She hugged herself as if it was the funniest thing she'd ever heard. Actually, it kind of was. "I wonder what they did with my kids. I hear Heero's disappeared. He's the only one who really ever cared for them, after that bastard drifter father of theirs left. God, I was being a genius then, wasn't I? It's all so clear now."

Darla Starhand was not the sweet, weak little Relena Darlian that Beliv had thought she was. A couple of weeks under Phailin's harsh crash-course training had taught her a lot about bitterness. Briefly, Relena wondered if Wufei had finally caved and let her tag along.

Beliv pushed her up against the wall again, beady eyes glinting in the dank, flickering light. "I like a woman with spunk."

Mental shielding works wonders, in the end.

_Flash!_

"That's your part, for now," Heero finished. He was holding her hand tightly, as if he was afraid she'd refuse him.

In all fairness, Relena was having doubts. "It sounds unreasonable," she conceded, "to ask all of this of me, Heero. For God's sake, I thought you were trying _not_ to split our family up."

Heero hung his head. "I know, but I don't see that we have a chance at that right now. They'll be looking for you, Relena Darlian, and you'll have to go campaign for peace. I'll be fighting with Zero. Raina came at a bad time, and now we can only be parents when we aren't already committed to stopping the human race from collectively committing suicide. I know that sounds harsh, but it's true. Even if the whole world knew about us, I doubt that would get us off. Nobody else cares. That's what I've found."

His words struck Relena, and she realized how bitter he sounded. She put his arms around him. "I didn't say I wouldn't do it. It does make sense. I just don't want to."

"I don't want to send you out there. I don't want you to be out from under my guard," Heero said, holding her tightly. "Our lives . . . all of them . . . are in danger."

It was late. The others had all gone to bed, and Heero had called them in one by one, explaining that everyone had a part but refusing to reveal just who had the biggest. He didn't even explain much to Relena, except that she knew the players. She knew he wanted it that way. Heero's training had involved a lot of psychology classes, and she knew she kept them fresh.

Seeking to comfort him and herself, she kissed his jaw gently. The muscle was tight as he clenched his teeth, but relaxed as he opened his mouth to sigh, a little surprised. Relena pulled back, looking for his downcast eyes. She brushed tangled hair out of his eyes, and color flushed to his face at the slight contact. "You look so much better _alive_," she told him gently. "You haven't died yet, so stop looking so much like a corpse. It's giving you wrinkles."

He cracked a small smile, and returned her gaze. "Just practicing."

They kissed, and the frustration and worry began to almost visibly evaporate. "Is the baby asleep?" Relena asked her husband.

"I just put her down. She should be out for at least an hour or so."

Relena got up and hit the lights. "Good."

***

_How dare he. How _dare _he! _Mariemaia screamed internally. How presumptuous, out of a man that shouldn't even be wandering around her dimensions any more. How dare he come back to haunt her.

She couldn't deny what she'd sensed. It was too real. She knew Dennis would have been scared, Ben worried about her, but Mariemaia knew the truth her eyes spoke wasn't actual. She stalked in a loop through the base, back to the bay where her Kirin was stored. The ghost was gone, but now there was a group of Specials talking in hushed tones close by. Mariemaia ignored them and climbed into the cockpit.

A hand caught the door before it could close. The safety mechanisms stopped it. Ben peered around the metal hatch. "Hey, Marie—"

"Leave me alone, Ben. I'm not really in a good mood right now." Mariemaia glared at him. Couldn't he tell she wanted to be left to herself?

"Yeah, that's kind of what I wanted to talk to you about." Ben pried the door the rest of the way open and sat down on the lip of the doorway, so that his head was about level with her knees. "It's not that I care who you are. I mean, where you came from. What matters is what you are now to me, to this unit.

"Everyone's talking about you, little sister. You showed those Specials up, and you're a green soldier. They're impressed, but not scared. They know you're on their side. You saved many a person's ass today and that's no joke. You know that guy who was teasing you yesterday? You saved his life twice out there. They like you, Marie."

Something inside Mariemaia softened, but not nearly enough. "Yeah, well, when the guy who betrayed you when you a little kid comes back to haunt every single person that's talking about me, maybe I'll be able to look at them on the same level as me. Until then, I've got things to do."

"Where are you going, Marie?" Ben looked at her. "There's nowhere to go but where we already are. I thought you'd know that."

"_God_— not that I'm saying I think there is one— is full of shit. There is no "divine plan" that I'm part of, understand? I don't know what Heero thinks he's doing, playing Fate, but I'm not going to follow his instruction all the time!"

Ben looked at her, quiet. He was confused (of course, he didn't understand what she was babbling about). "Please, Marie, go talk to them. They want to be your friends."

Mariemaia blew it through her nose. "Leave me alone."

Ben sighed and left. Mariemaia turned off the lights and closed her eyes. Ben's brown eyes haunted her long into the darkness, as did the ghostly image she could only imagine.

"Why can't I just be _me_??" she screamed, pounding her fists against the computer.

THERE IS NO ESCAPE FROM PURPOSE.

__

***

Phailin dropped down into Shenlong, a slight grin on her face. She'd been trying to talk Wufei into letting her into the pilot's seat for a while now, and Quatre had finally given her the excuse. She caressed the control for the hatch and closed it.

The gundam was not running, save the computer system (which seemed to never turn off). That is why the active wires were so strange. Then, as Quatre described, everything went dark. After a few minutes, however, nothing happened. There were no glowing words, no binary code, and no noises. With the gundam was shut down completely, there is no electricity to open the hatch. And no air circulation. Phailin gasped.

_Don't panic,_ she told herself. She pounded on the thick metal door with her fists. There was no one around. "What the hell is going on here?" she asked quietly. "Nataku, can you talk or is the little blondie on something?"

Slowly, the green digits appeared. Over a minute, they formed themselves into tentative words. WOMAN SPEAKS DIFFERENT FROM MAN . . .?

"You speak Chang better, do you?" She said. She'd never realized Wufei used his old language so much that the gundam barely understood Basic.

This time, the numbers transformed themselves much quicker— into a set of characters she recognized as Chinese, but couldn't translate all that well.

"I never said I did!"

Again, the translation was slower.WE ARE UNHAPPY.

"Yeah, babe, everyone is. That's the whole reason this damn war started in the first place. How is it you can do this?"

WE KNOW NOT OUR OWN BECOMING. WE ONLY KNEW WE ARE.

Phailin struggled to translate. _I don't know where I came from_.

"Would you mind if I have a look inside your brain? It has a security lock on it, but even Wufei doesn't know the code."

There was a lengthy pause, then a sequence of letters, numbers and symbols wrote themselves across the screen. PLEASE TO BE HAVING A STERILE ATMOSPHERE BEFORE, ELSE I AM DANGER.

"I will ensure it."

WHAT ELSE THERE IS?

Phailin thought for a minute, patting the console absently. "Can you speak with the other mobile suits?"

THROUGH PHYSICAL CONNECTION, LIKE NOW THROUGH ASTEROID COMPUTER.

"What does Sandrock have to say?"

The binary/letters changed to blue. ALL THE MOBILE SUITS ONBOARD THIS BASE ARE UNEASY ABOUT FIGHTING. WE'VE ACQUIRED MORALS. IT IS LIKE MASTER QUATRE SAID TO ME: "HUMANS DID NOT LIKE SEEING OTHER HUMANS DIE UP CLOSE, SO THEY INVENTED MACHINES TO FIGHT FOR THEM. NOW THE MACHINES HAVE BECOME TOO HUMAN."

Green letters appeared under those. MAN MAKE MACHINE. MACHINE BECOME MAN. MAN NOT ALLOWED TO MAKE MAN.

"What about the other suits? The Kirin and Karakadann?"

Green letters: THERE IS ONE CAPABLE AT TIME. UPGRADED SUIT.

Blue letters: (THE SOLDIER HAS BEEN PROMOTED AND THE SUIT HAS BEGUN TO ABSORB ITS PILOTS MIXED FEELINGS. THE NEW MOBILE SUITS ARE CAPABLE OF DOING THAT. ALL THE OTHER SUITS ARE STILL EMOTIONLESS SOLDIERS'.)

"Whose is it?"

Green: THE SUIT BELONG TO ONE YOU KNOW MARIEMAIA KHUSHRENADA.

"I knew it." Phailin sat back. "Is it online?"

YES.

Another wait, and then red letters scrolled. SHE'S SO UPSET. I CAN'T COMFORT HER. SHE JUST WANTS TO BE LEFT ALONE. I THOUGHT SHE WAS SEEKING MY COMFORT.

"Why is Mariemaia so upset?" Phailin pursed her lips. Mariemaia generally seemed like a happy child. After all the admiration she'd been getting, Phailin thought she would have been quite proud of herself.

Red: THERE'S A SIMPLE EXPLANATION: SHE'S SCARED. IT'S PLAIN ON HER FACE. OUT IN BATTLE, SHE LOST CONTROL. SHE'S AFRAID SHE'LL DO IT AGAIN. SHE'S AFRAID SHE'S NOT WHO SHE THINKS SHE IS.

Phailing sighed. "I know Heero's planned for her to come into a position of power. That's obvious. I wonder if she's afraid she'll become Dekim.

Red: I CAN ONLY SPECULATE.

Blue: YES, MASTER QUATRE'S BEEN WORRIED ABOUT THAT, TOO.

There was a yell from outside. Phailin quickly deducted. "Uh-oh. They think I'm trapped in here. You guys had better get going."

The power came back on. Phailin hit the hatch controls. Wufei was standing below, looking scared to death. "What the hell is going on here?"

Phailin hopped on her little elevator and rode down. She took his hands gently. "More than we ever imagined. God, Quatre was right. Either these guys really can think or we're the victim of some fiendishly clever hacker."

"You're not serious."

"I was just talking to Shenlong, Sandrock and Mariemaia's Kirin. They have a network when they're logged into the ship's computer. Wufei . . . It's incredible."

Wufei looked up to Shenlong. "Nataku . . . I can't help but wonder . . ."

***

_Zero, what's going on out there?_

MANY THINGS.

_What's happening at home?_

THEY ARE ASLEEP.

_Where is Milliardo?_

PLAYING HIS PART.

_How is my wife?_

HOW SHOULD I KNOW? I AM NOT ALL-SEEING.

Wing Zero and its single occupant floated among the stars. Heero wasn't watching the scenery, though he loved it, and sat with his eyes closed, head wired into the Zero System. Heero was sick of playing the bystander. Shukumei is never the bystander, so he had to do _something._

Akiko had actually told him to go. "I'm worried about Mom," she had said, "but I know she'll be okay if you're close by."

Off in the distance, the asteroid base teemed with energy. The pilots were still bouncy from the battle that morning, like so many microbes who'd been exposed to light. In its shell, Zero was impatient. IF WE LET THEM GET TOO FAR AHEAD, WE WON'T CATCH UP TO THOSE SHIPS. THEY ARE VERY FAST.

Heero sighed and nodded. "Okay, let's go.

***

Une had given him another carrier to destroy, and it was just about time. He sent a message to be displayed by Quatre and Wufei's gundams. _Attack 0600 Earth Standard Time, January 28._

He tailed the battleships, just far enough away to be out of their range. He couldn't wait for tomorrow to come. His sister was in danger. She might even . . . no, he didn't want to think about it.

How had Heero allowed her to do it? What the hell had happened, all of a sudden? Associating with that pirate, Darla Starhand, what was she thinking? Milliardo remembered the last image he had seen of her, black-haired and cruel-eyed.

He'd got a message from Noin just a while ago. _Heero will be watching your back._ Well, that was all right. At least his fears of Yuy being cruel to Relena had been nullified.

Milliardo sat back in his seat and tried to sleep. He'd need it for the battle ahead.

*** 

"Milliardo, is that you?" Winner's voice came over the radio.

"Where's Wufei?"

"Shenlong wouldn't cooperate."

"What?"

"I'll explain later. You don't think I'm going to be enough?"

"Do you have the Zero System on Sandrock?"

"They put it in as an afterthought, but yes."

"Do you think you can control Tallgeese on remote?"

Quatre looked thoughtful. "Yeah, probably. Why?"

"Someone actually need to go _inside_ the ship to rescue my sister."

"Did you forget Une had operatives on that ship? Relena got the all-clear before she left that they'd be able to get her out once the gundams start causing chaos."

Milliardo paused, embarrassed. "Oh yeah. Um. Yeah."

"I won't tell," Quatre said, laughing.

Milliardo boarded Tallgeese in his flightsuit and popped the airlock. "This ship's on remote, so try to stay behind it."

"Right."

Milliardo launched himself out of the cargo compartment and sidled up fairly close to the Arabian pilot. "I've got the ship set to fly by the other ship's open docking bay and self-destruct. It's carrying a fair amount of explosives, so that should put it out of commission. We've got to concentrate on killing off mobile suits, but we've also got to send a clear signal to the prisoners. Any ideas?"

Quatre tested out his new sickles. "I've seen cross-diagrams of that particular ship, and the prison decks are high up, where they're less likely to be in harm's way. If we rip a few holes in the lower decks, it'll cause some pretty severe damage and they'll be able to tell something's up."

"But—"

"Don't worry, if a puncture is detected airlocks on the decks close automatically. It's a bit like _Libra_."

"You're sure?"

"Positive."

"Right. Let's get to it, then."

***

A sudden jerking motion, a loud booming crash and the sound of an alert siren woke Relena from her daydream. Beliv, at her shoulder, growled.

His communicator buzzed. "Sir, we're under attack!"

He ran to it. "By what?" he shouted back.

"Two gundams! One has been positively identified as Sandrock-Rebuilt . . . the other is an older model that's not in our database!"

"Shut up, fool," Beliv barked. He put his thumb over the microphone. "We'll continue this shortly, Princess."

As soon as he left, Relena recovered her clothing— it was ripped even worse now. She knocked on the wall to signal Vincent that it was time.

Short, heart pounding minutes later, she got her first look at him.

His long black hair was slicked back in a ponytail low against his skull, accentuating his graceful neck and thin, handsome face. He grinned and cracked a little joke. "My, Ms. Relena, you look different."

"Is that a good or a bad thing?"

"I can't decide."

A Hispanic face appeared behind them. Tovah said shortly, "Stop flirting with her, Vince. Come on, we don't have much time between guard shifts."

Relena nodded. "Which way?"

The ship shook again. More alarms sounded. The lights went red.

Tovah cursed under his breath. "The hull's been breached somewhere. If it's close by we'll never get out of here."

"Well, if we don't get out than we'll suffocate, so we're dead if we get caught and dead if we don't risk ourselves. Just go." Relena nudged him.

They sidled down the dark hall, single-file against the wall. Relena felt her heart pounding in her ears.

"Steady, now," Vincent told her, laying a warm hand on her shoulder. "We're okay . . ."

Tovah stuck his head around the corner. "Clear," he whispered.

They hustled down the corridor, shooting sharp glances all around (not that they probably could have detected a guard, it was so dim).

Vincent took her hand when she bumped into the wall. "I know this ship by heart," he told her. "Just follow me, you'll be fine."

They came to the elevator unscathed. Tovah wiped his sweaty brow on his sleeve. "Where to now?"

"Deck four. That's where they keep their passenger shuttles stored." Vincent gave him a "isn't it obvious?" look.

Tovah punched a few buttons and cursed. "Deck four's been locked; atmosphere leak."

"Great," Relena said.

Vincent pounded his forehead. "Uhh, let's try deck 25. Crew dressing rooms are there. We might find some pressure-suits."

"Right." Tovah punched the button.

The sudden motion of the elevator startled Relena and she cried out. She fell against the wall, unable to stand straight any longer. She was in pain, she was exhausted, she was frightened, and she wanted to see Heero.

Vincent turned and put his arms around her, gently. "We're gonna get you home, Ms. Darlian. Don't worry."

"Vince, I told you, now isn't the time to flirt with her!" Tovah looked up from the elevator's information pad.

"Tov, can't you see she's hurt? God, look at the blood on her!"

Tovah looked down, startled. Indeed, there was a small spot on her flightsuit. "What _happened?_"

"Beliv . . ." Relena moaned, the pain worsening suddenly as more attention was brought to it. Her head spun, and she leaned against the kid Vincent as if he was the only upright thing in the universe.

Vincent clutched her shuddering body tighter. "Ms. Relena, please, try to stay here with us. It isn't much longer now, then you can rest."

"We need to find . . . some stimulant . . ." she mumbled. "I can't . . . I've been awake for too long."

"We'll try to find some. And some pain medicine, too. There's bound to be some in the changing rooms."

An agonizingly long minute later, the elevator stopped. Vincent put her arm around his shoulder, his young back supporting most of Relena's weight. They helped her— quickly— to the nearest unoccupied room. There were extra blue suits. Tovah dug through pockets and broke into lockers, looking for pills. He inspected the labels on several prescription bottles.

"This is a bit strong, but if I break it in half I think you'll be okay. Here, some caffeine tablets. Vince, is there water?" Tovah took over and fed her part of a blue pill. Vincent cupped is hands at the drinking fountain and brought the water to her. It tasted stale and lifeless, but it was still water. Relena was seriously dehydrated. She swallowed the medicine bit by bit, taking in as much water as the boys would let her. Tovah went back to a locker and brought her a sports drink. "These work better in short-term situations, Princess."

After a few minutes, the pain and dizziness began to subside. "Thank you," she said, hunched on the small bench. Vincent and Tovah had taken her recovery time to their advantage and had changed into the zero-gee suits.

"Do you need help with the suit? Perhaps something to catch that blood, Ms. Darlian?" Vincent went back through the lockers, came up with several pressed white linens. They turned around as she positioned them as best she could inside her flightsuit. She then pulled the blue zero-gee suit over it. "Okay, just give me a few moments more to rest and we can go. I'm sorry . . . to hold you up."

"Nah, don't rush yourself. You won't be any good if you collapse down there. They'll catch on to us. Personally, I think Heero Yuy'd be pretty angry if we let you get killed. Even if you _did_ get involved with that pirate."

Relena laughed. "Oh, he'd be mad, all right. I've got obligations back home. I guess it's okay to tell you, but this whole setup about me being captured was planned. I'm not really sure what it's supposed to accomplish, though Heero seems to know what he's doing. Darla Starhand the pirate died years ago. We faked several documents of piracy and linked them to me."

Tovah whistled. Relena picked it up through her intercom. "Elaborate setup. So, did our little plan work?"

"If it was designed to distract Beliv, you bet. I really don't know exactly what it was supposed to accomplish. I just said that."

Vince looked to the door expectantly. "Supervisor's coming by, guys! It's time to get out there before we get discovered."

"Where exactly is 'there?'" Tovah asked.

"We've been assigned via clever computer-notepad hacking to begin repairs to outer hull, deck 4." Vincent turned away from the door computer console. "Let's move it."

There was the sound of tearing metal, so loud that Relena almost blacked out. The door Vincent had been attempting to open slammed shut as the room suddenly lost pressure. A gigantic blade tore open the skin that had protected the three escapees, and the vacuum tore at Relena until there was nothing to see but stars. Such was the force that the umbilical that connected to the storage chamber (to charge the suit's power) snapped. She didn't even have time to scream.

__

Tsuzuku! (To be continued.)

***********************************************

_Don't wanna spoil the next chapter too much for ya! Have fun worrying about Relena. Well, I've gotta bid goodbye to FFN for a while so I don't fail two of my classes._

Bye now (argh, help me stall!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

-Itsumo, CMR

(Damn, too late.)


	6. Floating Amongst

Okay, it's multi-episode cliffhanger-ender time (I feel like parodying a lot lately [Mighty morphin' power ranger time or something like that __

Okay, it's multi-episode cliffhanger-ender time (I feel like parodying a lot lately [Mighty morphin' power ranger time or something like that. I dunno. I got up too early this morning]).

For all you SW fans out there, I know this sounds a little like a cross between ANH and the original Zahn trilogy, and it's kind of halfway intentional. In light of this, I must add that I don't own any rights to SW in any way, so don't sue or let other people sue on your behalf.

So I lied when I said it'd be until April, but I really don't want to do my history homework. *Gives audience a raspberry*.

**Floating Amongst**

_Wow, I didn't think I would reach that far into the ship,_ thought Quatre as he slashed at a mid-level deck. An officer had just shot out with the expelled atmosphere. Instead of a quick death, he or she would instead suffocate when the air reserves of their suit ran out. Quatre hadn't meant to kill anybody, but the person was too small to locate among the empty space. "I'm sorry," he whispered, eyes welling up.

"Don't grieve over him." Milliardo said. "It's a loss, and I know we weren't gunning for kill, but we can't help him now."

Quatre tried to forget, but here's the funny thing: you can't tell yourself not to think about something. He'd killed someone. On _accident._

A mobile suit came up behind him. It raised its beam saber and—

Milliardo cut it down, and the explosion shocked Quatre back into reality.

"Sorry," he apologized, this time to his fellow pilot.

"Don't be sorry," the elder warned. "Just don't do it again. Being sorry gets people killed."

"Not being sorry results in wars," Quatre countered. He was feeling a little irritable, and Relena's overzealous big brother was getting on his nerves. "There's a bit of a balance, isn't there? Maybe that's why you've died so many times, _Zechs_."

"I no longer claim that name," Milliardo said, his voice hard. "Just shut up and watch your back."

Quatre grumbled, but slashed around at the incoming mobile suits. He'd been lucky enough to learn where their weak spots were.

More men dead.

****

~~@[~*,~]@~~

Noin was awoken simultaneously by the two girls that were her charges. Raina started bawling just moments after Akiko stuck her head in the room. "Noin?"

"What is it, Kik?" It was Milliardo's nickname, but the girl liked it. Noin went to go pick up the baby.

"She's hungry. I'll go get the formula," Akiko said immediately. She, like her parents, had already identified Raina's various cries. Noin couldn't make heads or tails out of it. She cradled the child and followed the elder girl downstairs.

Akiko sat on the counter in her nightshirt, swinging her legs as the microwave heated up the bottle. She looked disturbed. Shyly, she held her hands out for her sister. Noin gave the bundle to her gently. "I think . . . I think she felt it too," Akiko said, looking down.

"Felt what, honey?" Noin removed the bottle and tested the temperature on her arm. She handed it to Akiko.

"Something's bad happened." The girl scooted back on the counter and rested the baby on her lap. "I think . . . I think it's Mom."

Noin grimaced. Akiko seemed to have a psychic link to her parents. There was no explanation. She was quite certain something _had _happened out there. She couldn't do much to comfort the child, though she was taking it quite well. "Your mother's situation is a risky one. Beliv has taken her prisoner. You know the attraction the man has for her."

She shook her head. "No, it's more than that. Mom's hurt, but . . . she's _cold._"

Noin felt a chill. _Oh no_. "Can you still feel her thoughts?"

"They're almost not there."

"What . . . what about your father?"

"He's frightened. I can't get him very well. Something's in the way." Akiko sighed and offered Raina back. The baby was too heavy for her to hold for very long, but the presence of her sibling comforted her. "I've barely been able to get him ever since he left. There's interference. I think it's alive, too. He might be trying to block me out."

To protect her, maybe? Noin tried hard not to look frightened. Things didn't seem to be going well.

"Your mom's a strong woman. She'll make it," she said, not quite so certain.

"I hope so."

****

~~@[~*,~]@~~

Floating amongst the stars, planets, comets, meteors, dust, and most of all the emptiness, the great golden wings of Zero flapped slowly, though uselessly. _Such beauty,_ thought Shukumei,_ such loneliness. We were destined for the stars, friend_.

"Fate speaks of destiny," Heero huffed indignantly. "Isn't that a bit redundant?"

FOOLISH HUMAN CONCEPTS, said Zero.

Heero sighed, weary. He watched the battle from afar, but it was hard to understand what was happenning.

"Relena . . ." the name sprang to his lips all of a sudden. Shukumei made him open his eyes again. _Zero, what's going on?_

A WOMAN IN A ZER0-GRAVITY SUIT HAS EMERGED FROM A PUNCTURE IN THE SHIP. MY SENSORS DETECT THAT IT IS COMING STRAIGHT AT US.

"On purpose?"

NO. IT IS A RANDOMLY DETERMINED TRAJECTORY.

Shukumei's spoken word . . . Heero leapt forward in his seat. "Relena! How did that happen? Where is she??"

WE MUSTN'T GET INVOLVED, Zero reminded him.

"No! That's my wife! I can't let her die!" Heero pounded his armrests, as if trying to punch the gundam. He had not intended for this to happen. His fingers dashed across the panels and his front screen went blank for a moment. Then, the magnification showed the silent figure of his one love, unmoving. She rotated on her path, and Heero could see her face, blue. He didn't see her breathing. Her eyes were shut.

Heero moaned, low and deep in his chest. It was a very sobering sound, based on the knowledge that his worst fears had come to pass. Zero thought he sounded like a wounded animal. "No, no, no, no . . ." he cried and collapsed against his seat, a pitiful figure of a man. "She can't be— she's not— RELENA!"

The metal reverberated with his desperate call. Zero didn't like the sensation. Heero's emotions were overwhelming the Zero System. Shukumei had long since fled in the face of such obvious accusation. Zero cut him off, both perplexed and angry. It didn't understand pity, but it understood the boundary between life and death.

Heero, grieving, was useless.

****

~~@[~*,~]@~~

After the initial shock, Relena's panic faded completely. It was impossible to panic in the calmness of space. Stars twinkled, so many more than were visible through Earth's atmosphere. Dimly, she thought she saw one shine gold. Then again, it could have been her delusion or the drugs. She suddenly felt so free.

Everything seemed so far away now. There was no war out here, only peace. Beliv? He was gone forever. Petty politics and under-the-table negotiations? Forget about them! She sighed. It hurt to breathe.

It had hurt to breathe deeply after her babies had been born, too. She thought back to Akiko, eyes like her father's from the start. The girl . . . she'd grow up to be strong, despite the loss of her mother. She had always been Heero's child more than hers; so beautiful and delicate and full of courage. She wondered who Raina would grow up to be. Would she be like her mother, sweet and shy and pale? Would she choose to carry her mother's name on, through her? It saddened Relena to think that her daughter would never know her. _But if this sacrifice is necessary for that child to lead a happy life, I'll do it,_ she thought, with some conviction. She finally realized why Heero had thought that way in the past.

Her breath slowed as her lungs fought to keep themselves full of oxygen, but her air supply was running short. There was no heating system for the suits, as they were not intended to be used as space-suits. The blood had frozen to her body. It itched. It hurt. It was all Beliv's fault it had ended this way.

She thought she heard her name. It sounded like Heero's soft, slightly airy voice. She'd loved it when he said it like that, full of concealed affection meant only for her. She'd never hear it again. She'd miss it. All this time, she'd crusaded to be by his side, and he'd put up no objection, not even one opposing hand. He loved her more than words could ever describe, so he didn't try to say it. Memories flooded back, of long winter nights nestled close, talking softly, sweet nothings that meant everything. She'd always felt protected, lying against him; under his arm and his wing.

"Heero . . ." she whispered, the puff of warm breath clouding the helmet's glass. She had been about to embrace Death with open arms, and many times before, but now she wasn't ready to go any more. _No, don't! I can't go now!_

Despite her pleas, down swept the angel of death, soaring from the void. Its gruesome, bony face eyed her spirit hungrily. _Cruel fate plays dirty tricks_, Relena thought before blackness swept through her body.

****

~~@[~*,~]@~~

"What do you mean we've _lost_ them?" Admiral Beliv demanded out of the quivering major.

"The Admiral asked a question," Ingraham told him.

"Uh, sir, the prisoners in section A-18 have escaped.

"Well find them!" Beliv barked, like an oversized, angry, bushy dog. "I'm not going to lose that Princess! She's too valuable. I'll cut throats, I will!"

"Sir," a tech interrupted. "There's trouble on Deck Four."

"More?" Beliv swelled. "What the hell is it this time, more rebelling officers?"

"No, sir. It's the same ones as before."

Beliv's caterpillar eyebrows fused. "_What?"_

The tech keyed up a visual. The two black-haired traitors that had accompanied Relena Darlian to the cellblock A-18, in zero-gee suits, were forcing their way into the ship bays. "Stop them, dammit!" Beliv shouted.

A crackle came from the nearest comm set. "We're trying, sir. But the lead one's a sharpshooter. He's felled a dozen of my men so far!"

As the Admiral and Captain watched, Vincent shot two more soldiers. The hallway behind them was littered with dead and dying men. The boy— barely in his twenties, Beliv would have guessed, turned around and shot the security camera.

****

~~@[~*,~]@~~

Vincent blasted his way down the air-empty hall, not bothering to be even remotely discreet. Soldiers ran to see what the trouble was, and Vincent cut them down with accuracy. Tovah had never seen him so angry. His friend was doing just fine on his own. The man was simply _furious_. No one dared stop them as Vince barreled his way through the ship bay. The ship started at his touch, and shot out the open lock. Vincent keyed in a general channel. "Gundams! This is Vincent and Tovah, Specials operatives!"

A deep, rough voice Tovah thought he recognized answered. "Don't you have Ms. Darlian with you?"

Vincent hung his head in disgrace. Tovah, sensing his friend blamed himself, replied, "There was an accident. The hull was punctured and we lost her. We're trying to pick her up on this ship's sensors, but they aren't warmed up yet."

A younger voice, one easily recognizable as Quatre Winner's, whispered, "That . . . that was Relena? Oh my God . . ."

"There's a good chance she's still alive. Stop talking like that!" Vince punched buttons on the external sensors. He paused. "There's something weird out there. I'm reading . . . that can't be right."

"What is it?" the husky voice demanded.

Tovah looked. "Ah, it appears to be a large machine, but the computer says it's biological. It's coming right for us."

It, a white streak, swept past and away so fast that the four of them could not distinguish it. In its wake, a small piece broke off and floated towards them. Vince aimed the sensors at it.

The other gundam was quicker. He snatched at it, enclosing it gently in his fist. The pilot emerged, walked down the gundam's outstretched arm. It was no matter that he whispered, for his voice carried such conviction, such pain that Vincent, normally upbeat and in-control Vincent, sobbed loudly. "Relena."

Tovah grabbed the controls, his heart skipping beats, and brought the shuttle in close. The man gathered the body in his arms and they let him in the airlock. He clutched at the inanimate princess until Tovah forced him to put her on the floor. Vincent wiped fiercely at his eyes and went to go inspect Relena. The gundam pilot removed his helmet in a flourish of static blonde hair. The two Specials gasped. "Zechs Marquise!"

He waved his hand, then reached down to pull his sister's helmet off and unzip the bulky zero-gee suit. "I'm Milliardo Peacecraft now. All I am is a worried brother."

Relena was blue. There were tears frozen to her cheeks, now melting. Milliardo put his ear by her mouth, listening for breath, a heartbeat.

The airlock hissed open again. Quatre Winner peered at them. "Milliardo, is she going to be okay?"

There was silence for a full minute, the boys staring at each other and the small woman, usually so full of fire. Accomplished by barely the age of fifteen, a former princess, queen, and respected delegate, Relena had led such a full life in so short a span. She was leaving behind people who would never stop grieving for her. Quatre couldn't imagine how Heero would end up.

Milliardo held the body against his. His shoulders began to shake.

The others hung their heads.

****

~~@[~*,~]@~~

In a sterile inflatable chamber she'd employed from the medical department onboard the asteroid-base, Phailin probed carefully into Shenlong's outermost NERV circuits. She was going to have to climb bodily into its head, and this dissection would take days. It was like doing brain surgery on a giant.

There was a knock on the Plastic outside. Phailin pulled her head out of the small hole she'd carefully created. The doctor— head of the medical department— which had leant her the sterile atmosphere, peered inside curiously. Phailin wiped at the grease on her cheek and the stray hairs that had fallen out of her constructed knot. Hold on, she mouthed.

A moment later (after going through the mini-airlock that accompanied the sterile chamber), she greeted the doctor warmly.

She looked around. "I didn't expect it to be used for this. You know, no one but certified mechanics with permission and the pilot himself are supposed to work on the gundams."

Phailin dug through her pocket and found her mechanics card. "I have permission from Wufei. I'm investigating some unusual happenings with the equipment."

"Ah." she started slightly at the sound of Wufei's name.

Phailin caught the hint. "You know him, do you?"

"We used to work together, many years ago. He does keep to himself terribly much, doesn't he? I haven't seen him yet."

Phailin searched her memory for the woman's image, but she came up blank. "Forgive me, but what is your name?"

"Hnh? Oh, Sally Poe," she said, distracted. "So where _is_ Wufei?"

"He should be here in a few minutes. He said he was going to check in on my progress. He's a little uneasy that I might damage something."

"Understandable. These gundams are quite delicate internally, I've heard."

"They're a slightly different design than the originals, it's clear."

It was at that moment that Wufei came in. He gave the two women a look and frowned. "What— is something wrong?"

"No. Nataku's fine. It'll take me a couple of days to get all the way through to the center processor, unless you want me to cut my way through and risk damaging something. There's a lot of stuff packed into that little head of his. I wish you'd teach him better Basic, though. I can barely understand him sometimes."

"Take as long as you need," said Wufei hurriedly.

"I thought as much. I'd better get back to work, if you don't mind, Sally."

Behind her, Wufei jerked, then gave the sandy-haired woman a second, wide-eyed glance. He made a gesture towards her hair.

She fingered the ends, which were about chin level. "Yeah, it was getting in the way. So . . . how are you, Wufei? It's been ages."

"Okay, I guess."

"You look . . . good."

"Yeah . . . thanks, I think. Don't look bad yourself."

They looked at each other, then looked away, embarrassed. "Look, Wufei. I was wondering . . ."

"Hm?"

"Well, if you'd like to go to dinner sometime." Sally blushed. "I'd like to catch up on things, you know."

Phailin hadn't closed the door to the sterilization chamber, and was trying to listen in. "Ooh, Wuffie, you draw ladies like flies, don't you?"

Wufei opened his mouth to protest. "Hey—"

Phailin laughed and stepped back toward them. "I hope you two don't take your little dinner too far. I'd be disappointed in you."

"I'd never—" Wufei gave her a look of indignation.

"Excuse me?" Sally interrupted. "Is there something I missed here?"

Phailin laughed again and rubbed against her husband. "You're hunting in my territory, honey."

It was Wufei's turn to blush. "Uh, Sally, I think you've already met my wife, Phailin?"

Sally blinked. "Oh . . . I didn't know—"

Phailin pinched the back of Wufei's thigh for the third time that day (it seemed to be a family trait). "Go ahead, you two go to dinner. I'm not worried. I just like to play sometimes." She climbed back into the soundproof booth. 

Wufei scowled behind her back, rubbing his sore backside. "Damn woman," he muttered. "Sometimes I think she'd better pray it's a boy . . ."

"What was that?" Sally asked.

"Ngh, nothing," Wufei said hurriedly. He didn't want to face his wife's wrath if she ever found out.

Sally gestured to the door. "Shall we? Military rations aren't exactly gourmet, but it's the best we'll get until we get moved off this rock."

"Fine. Your treat."

"Yeah, with military doctor money? You've got to be joking."

"A personality trait that's a recent development," Wufei said, feeling rather proud of his dry humor.

"A result of that interesting Phailin, right?"

"Who else?"

Sally cleared her throat, but the woman had never had all that much shame. "So . . . how did you guys meet, anyway?"

"_That_ is a long story."

****

~~@[~*,~]@~~

Heero returned in a sullen state of mind. He'd thought of nothing but his children during the days he'd traveled toward home. He was all they had left now. He didn't have the nerve to return home before he went to go meet Milliardo, Quatre, and two Specials. Instead, he went to his parents'.

"Heero, what's going on?" Masao asked, immediately detecting his son's somber mood.

"I just need a place to stay. I can't go home."

Megumi walked in from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a towel. "I don't buy that one. What's happened, Heero? Why aren't Akiko and the baby with you? Heero, where's Relena gone? That wasn't her dressed as that pirate, was it?"

"There . . . hasn't been any controversy over that, has there?" Heero's momentary confusion overtook his sadness.

"No, but that couldn't have possibly been her. It wasn't, was it?"

"It was," Heero whispered, unable to look at them. "We tried to rescue her from Beliv. And now— now—" he broke off, finding it too hard to accept.

Masao's face was gray. "What's happened?"

Heero shook his head, his tears hidden by his mussed hair. He didn't want to say they'd be burying her tomorrow. He couldn't speak.

"No . . . she isn't . . . Heero!" Megumi sat down hard. "She isn't . . . dead?"

Heero took a sharp breath at the cruel word.

Masao's usually optimistic face grew grim. He reached out and found a normally reluctant Heero in his arms. The two parents hugged their son tightly, almost afraid to let go. Heero, only because of his exhaustion, was the only one that slept that night.

****

~~@[~*,~]@~~

The next morning, Masao drove his grief-stricken son to the nearest base, where the Specials officers would be delivering Relena's body. Somebody had tipped the press that Relena Darlian was on the shuttle, and there was a hoard there. Heero kept the windows rolled up to avoid being detected.

It was raining, not hard, but steadily. The sky was a consistent gray, companioned with a cold wind that Heero seemed to feel even through the car's steel skin. Even his piercingly blue eyes seemed to have faded, against the red veins that were clearly visible. Heero had lost weight during the past months, and he looked as if he was at borderline malnutrition. Briefly, he wondered if the public even noticed how the war was torturing him. Somehow, he doubted it.

"You have to go home," Masao said firmly as Heero took out his wallet— to look at the photos of Akiko (he kept forgetting to add one of Raina's). He fingered the little girl's face. "Akiko needs to hear it from her father. You need to give her the sense that you'll be there for her."

"I know that," Heero whispered. "But I still don't even want to tell myself."

Masao put his arm over his shoulders. "The world's lost a great woman. They'll all be there for you. Think of all the friends you have here to support you. No one's going to abandon you."

Heero sighed shakily. "Yeah, I know."

Heero looked up. There was a streak as the shuttle came through the atmosphere. Heero watched it, feeling his heart pound in his chest. He didn't want to see the body.

"Be strong, son," Masao said firmly.

Like the fiery Angel of Death himself, the shuttle plunged mercilessly though the air, and soon could be heard. The sound whistled and yet rumbled, and could be heard on so many frequencies that Heero was sure everyone here would suffer inner ear damage. The air rushing past gave off a sort of piteous cry, as if the whole of earth was mourning for his beloved.

When the whole crowd was lost in the dramatic entrance of Relena's hearse, Heero stepped quietly out of the car. The cold wind rustled his thin clothes— nothing more than a tank and shorts— and played with his hair, brushing it away from the sore and swollen eyes that it needed to hide. Freezing-cold raindrops pelted his bare skin, their fast slanted fall cutting at him like hundreds of tiny needles. Heero had never much liked needles, particularly those attached to a syringe. Over the years, bits of memories had drifted back to him about Dr. J. He remembered the white lab, the treadmills, the fast-paced classes, and most of all the drugs.

He'd never have remembered that without Relena's help. She'd been able to put puzzle pieces of his past back into place. Now, she was gone forever.

Lightning flashed as the shuttle touched down, shielding plates still red. Heero could hear the reporter nearest to him begin his narration into a digital recorder. "Lightning crashes ominously as the shuttle carrying news of the plight of the last member of the Peacecraft family lands on this chilly winter morning. The crowd is quiet; save for the men and women like me doing stories of their own. So many of us are anxious. Fancies run through our heads: Why did Relena Darlian turn suddenly to a life of crime, teaming up with the most infamous pirate this side of the galaxy? Has Eric Beliv finally finished what he started nearly three seasons ago? Is Ms. Darlian still in his grasp, or is she making her way home as we speak? In mere minutes, we'll find out."

Heero knew the answers to all of those. He remembered the last conversation he and his wife had. _"I don't think I'll ever be prepared, but I believe in what we're doing. Beliv likes me too much to hurt me more than a little. I won't struggle. It'll only make things worse, once I'm his prisoner. I'll get over it Heero, if you will."_

"The thought of him allowed to touch you makes me furious," Heero had said frankly.

"Then why are you sending me on this mission when you know it'll happen."

"Because I don't see I have any other choice."

Heero grimaced. Had he really said that? It would have been fairly easy to find a woman that looked like Relena. Her beauty was not the uncommon kind, although to Heero there was no better kind than hers was (strictly because it was her). Une might have been able to secure a backup. There were a thousand things he could think of now to have altered the mission without risking his wife. Now, it was too late. The shuttle rolled to a halt at the hastily constructed departure podium set up for the press. Heero almost looked away when the door was opened. He did not want to see the corpse of the only woman he'd ever love.

__

The press started to shout wildly. The reporter Heero had eavesdropped on earlier talked excitedly into his recorder. Heero's jaw dropped at the sight. Even he hadn't been prepared for what he saw.

A lanky, black-haired young man stepped out of the ship, supporting another black-haired individual. Heero thrust his way forward, shoving various people out of the way in his hurry to get to the front. 

On the plywood balcony, Relena looked up to find anyone she knew. Surely someone had come to greet her . . .

"Relena!" She heard her name, but the voice was so emotional she almost couldn't tell who it was. She spotted her husband as the crowd around him suddenly thinned as the shouter's identity was revealed. Heero gave her a look of pure shocked joy, and she felt her heart sing. She'd known all along there would be something wonderful to come home to, after the pain and emotional and physical strain she'd endured over the past two weeks.

She called for him, but he was already at the front, an indescribable expression on his pale face. Relena let go of Vincent and jumped from the podium, unable to contain herself any longer. She needed to be in his arms.

Heero stepped back and caught her deftly, his strong, sure arms wrapping around her waist and hugging her as if he'd never let go. He seemed thinner than he had been the last time she'd seen him, still grayer and more lined. Had his worries really been so intense? She leaned against his warm chest, his body a shield from the bitter air and pounding rain. She drifted for a few seconds or a few minutes, she could not tell how long.

She heard her name called and peered past Heero's arm to see Masao, who'd abandoned his car to go make sure his daughter-in-law was really still alive. "So Heero _can_ be wrong! Oh, this is incredible!" He stole Relena from his son for a moment with his own embrace.

"I don't understand," she said, looking at Heero.

He waved a hand. "In a more private situation."

Relena motioned to Vincent and Tovah, who leapt off the podium in a less Relena-ish style and landed like cats. "Heero, Masao, this is Vincent and Tovah. They saved my life.

Vincent saluted. "It is an honor to be in the company of such a great pilot, Mr. Yuy."

Heero returned the salute, his other hand still stroking his wife's dyed hair possessively. "You have my gratitude. Please, ride with us. There is much to discuss."

They pushed their way through the crowd, answering select questions so as not to seem too unfriendly and climbed into Masao's car. As soon as they were out of sight of any cameras, the couple kissed passionately. Vincent stared until Relena flashed the gold ring on her hand. Then he kept staring.

_Flashback!_

Relena's weak arms crept around her brother as she felt his hot tears of relief against her face. She was still groggy, tipsy and a bit oxygen-deprived, but she could still tell where she was. She'd been drugged so many times before that her mind unconsciously compensated.

Collectively, the four men sighed.

"Help me up," she told Milliardo. Her brother carefully lifted her by the waist, and she cried out in pain. Her hips were on fire. Milliardo looked to the two other Specials.

Vincent hurried forward. "She needs medical attention. She's got some vaginal bleeding that needs to be patched up. I'm sure that frozen blood in there is really comfortable."

Tovah, the certified medic, led them to the sleeping area, which was surprisingly well furnished. Milliardo handed his sister over to Vincent and lent his strong shoulders to pulling out one of the mattresses that folded into the walls. They laid her on it, though she continued to wince. "If I could have you three leave . . ." Tovah hinted, digging through the onboard medical kit for things he might need.

Quatre and Vincent left without protest, but Milliardo stood stonily by his sister's side.

"It would be easier and quicker if you left, sire," Tovah said, pouring drops of sanitizing liquid onto his hands, then pulling on gloves.

Relena looked at him. "Please, Milliardo. Let me try and relax. You being here, admonishing Tovah to be careful is not going to help. I'll have you come see me as soon as we're done, okay?"

Milliardo grumbled, but complied.

"I'm going to give you some anesthetic injections, Ms. Darlian," Tovah concluded after a few minutes. "There's some serious stitching to be done. Beliv ripped you up pretty good and that iced blood had sharp edges."

Relena tried hard not to scream as the needle punctured her sensitive skin, but the cool liquid inside the syringes soon brought her a welcoming numbness. The occasional sensation of a tug or pull didn't bother her at all. Tovah spread some disinfectant gel and wrapped the covers around Relena gently. She was already almost asleep, if not that she'd promised she'd talk to Milliardo.

"How is she?" came the first question from down the hall. 

"She'll be fine, given a couple of weeks to a month. She needed a few stitches, but I don't predict any complications." Tovah's voice drifted off while Milliardo's footsteps grew louder.

He made his way quietly into the room, realizing Relena needed rest. He kneeled by her side, rubbing her hand gently. "This is the last time I'll see you for days. Are you okay, little sister?"

Relena smiled, just a bit loopy. "I'll be okay, but I think that anesthetic has some sleep agent in it. I have to sleep. I'll be okay, Milliardo. I just want to go home now."

"I'll be there to take care of you," Milliardo insisted.

"So will Heero. I appreciate the strong men I have around, you know. Someone needs to change the baby besides Noin once and a while."

Milliardo's eyes were downcast at the mention of Heero, and he didn't smirk at the attempted joke. Relena noticed his reaction and looked at him imploringly. "I still blame him a little bit that you came out here," he admitted.

"I knew what I was facing. He didn't want me to do it, trust me. Heero would never let something happen to me. I'm sure he probably followed us out here to make sure I'd be okay."

Milliardo thought about the white steak that had delivered Relena to them. Three more minutes out in space and Relena would have been dead. After a moment, he stood. "I'll see you on earth, Relena."

"I love you, big brother."

"I love you too."

Milliardo changed back into his spacesuit and went back over to Tallgeese. Quatre was going to drop at the asteroid base to get a cargo ship for the gundams, so they would fall behind a little. That was okay. Heero would be there for her.

_Flashforward!_

"Come on, a nice dinner for Relena and Heero, guys. I'll treat," Masao insisted as they stopped at a small town not more than half an hour from home.

"That would be great, dad," Heero admitted. I haven't had good food in a long time. The town boasted one semi-formal restaurant, which they took advantage of. Heero and Relena took the bench side, the two Specials sat across from them and an extra chair was set at the end for Masao. The dining room was not crowded on the lazy evening, and the service was quite well paced.

The room was dim, lit only by table candles and the soft light overhead. Relena closed her eyes and leaned against Heero's shoulder, holding his hand under the table. "It's a shame we didn't steal any computer information," she said to contribute to the conversation about their escape.

_"Au contraire_, Ms. Darlian," Vincent said with a grin. He held out his forearm. "We got plenty."

************************************************

_Now really, why would I kill Relena? (First of all, she'd kill me.)_

I'm going to try and lighten the mood just a bit in the next chapter. Oh yeah, and Death from Discworld appears. Apparently the ghost is a personal friend . . . The next chapter of **AC 207: The Hands of Fate: The Finer Points of Living.**


	7. The Finer Points of Living

__

Hiya . . . again. Well, I'm going to swear now that I'm not going to be working on my fic for a while. I have a ton of homework that needs to be done within the next three weeks, plus I have to refill my creative energy reserves. It's a bit more lighthearted than everything else has been, so just relax for this one. Oh yeah, I went out on a limb with the Death thing and it's almost a crossover, but I couldn't resist . . . ^_^

**The Finer Points of Living**

" . . . Which concludes our gossip unit today," the cheery talk show host said.

Duo sniggered at the image of Heero and Relena greeting each other. _I thought they knew better than that,_ he thought. Little did he realize how near the woman had come to death, so he thought the performance was quite entertaining.

The spotlight on the woman on the television brightened and the background darkened. She said, "I think this little picture will prove to be worth more than a thousand words. How can we doubt the obvious underground significance of that expression on Heero Yuy's face? The little hints we've been able to gather haven't been enough to establish exactly what is going on, but it sure looks cute, doesn't it? It leads one to wonder how long they've sustained. As has been the topic of our show today, staying together in modern times is harder than ever due to . . ."

Vincent started to cry.

"Duo, check the baby, will you? I'm kind of busy," Sophie called.

Duo yawned mightily and hit the power button. He passed his wife in the den and saw her on the phone. She gave him a shut-him-up-or-else look and turned back to her work.

Duo went into his son's room. itwas decorated in the most popular style for little boys, a soft blue with lots of generic unisex stuffed animals and pictures of large machines such as tractors and airplanes and an artist rendition of Deathscythe (why not?), and Duo's old cross by the window.

"Hey, wittle won? What's wrong?" he asked in that tone of voice any father will unconsciously adopt when talking to his infant child. Sophie made fun of it when she was around, but she did it too. He picked the baby up out of his crib and investigated. "I think we might need a wittle changy-wangy," he cooed, wrinkling his nose.

Vincent giggled as Duo removed his soiled diaper and tickled his round little stomach. Duo grinned, not being able to remember the last time he'd got that reaction out of his wife. Babies were so _innocent._

Duo had finally gotten the routine down; Take off old diaper, clean, powder, new diaper put on cartoon-character side out and plastic tape in back. "Don't see why they have to make the damn things so complicated, he grumbled." Absently, he recalled something Hilde had said once: "Humanity has always gotten a thrill watching other folks suffer— so much so we've even got a word for it: schadenfreude."

"Schadenfreude my ass," Duo muttered, picking up his son. "Let's go watch TV, huh Vince?"

****

~~@[~*,~]@~~

I'M TOO NICE_,_ said Death as he picked his way carefully over to the ghost. SHE SHOULD HAVE DIED.

The ghost chuckled. He was getting quite good at bargaining with his friend.

I MEAN IT. SOMEONE YOU CARE FOR HAS GOT TO DIE, UNDERSTAND? Death stamped his bony foot in a very childish gesture. Death was indeed very childish. Incredibly so, in fact. I DON'T GIVE RUBBISH WHETHER OR NOT THEY'RE CRUCIAL TO THE HUMAN RACE'S SURVIVAL. ALL PEOPLE ARE DEAD TO ME ANYWAY.

"Peace, peace," said the ghost. "All right. One I care for if you spare the others?"

YES.

"Just not the one with the red hair. She cannot die, understood?"

BUGGER, Death said, IT'S ALWAYS THE REDHEADS THAT ARE SPECIAL. WHY THEM?

"Because she is important to me," replied the ghost, noncommital.

IS IT TRUE THAT ONE OF YOUR MANY FIGUREHEAD RELIGIOUS CHARACTERS HAS A FASCINATION WITH RED-HAIRED GREEN-EYED YOUNG LADIES? Death asked innocently.

"Unfortunately," admitted the ghost. "But Mariemaia's too smart to get pulled into one of those traps. You're such a bad faker, you know that?"

NO, HONESTLY. I DON'T MEET GODS. I MEET MORTALS. GODS DON'T DIE.

"Lucifer is said to be quite a character. Maybe you two should have lunch sometime." Somewhat of an absence of an afterlife had left the ghost a bit more than slightly jaded. Various deities possessing large amounts of supernatural power no longer had any effect whatsoever on what remained of his soul.

I'LL GET IN TOUCH. Death rubbed his finger-bone tip along the edge of his scythe, which was so thin that it was invisible except in a certain bluish light and so sharp that the yellowish-white tip of the bone was sawed clear through in a matter of microseconds.

OH, BUGGER, Death said again as the fragment rebounded off the "ground" and reattached itself. ONE DAY, AND I KEEP SAYING THIS, ONE DAY IT'S NOT GOING TO COME BACK. WOULDN'T IT BE SO MUCH NICER IF THEY JUST GAVE ME SCISSORS? BUT NO, THEY HAVE TO GIVE ME A SCYTHE. FOR THE APPEARANCES THINGY. ISN'T ANYBODY _PRACTICAL_ ANYMORE?

"The human mind is always a mystery," reflected the ghost.

THAT'S THE TROUBLE WITH BEING AN ANTHROPOMORPHIC PERSONIFICATION [If you don't remember from the last book, that is something that exists through the characterization of a natural event (death, fate etc.) by the collective human consciousness], YOU DON'T GET TO CHOOSE. JUST ONCE I'D LIKE TO HAVE EYEBALLS. Death idly tapped at the empty sockets of bone hidden deep in his cowl. A bluish light that the origin of was and was to remain unknown shone from within (somewhere) and death sighed. Or, rather, tried to sigh. When you don't have lungs or a mouth it's kind of hard.

The ghost patted his friend's humorous sympathetically. "In a way, I fell lucky. Then again, you never had to go through the process of dying. Hurts quite a bit, sometimes."

There was a neigh behind him, and Death's horse appeared, trotting along the nothingness, paying little attention to actual dimensional rightness. It annoyed the ghost somewhat. Death's steed was an actual living horse, as opposed to the skeleton ones, which tended to fall apart. His name was Binky.

Now really, _Binky._ What kind of name was that for a horse?

SQUEAK, said Binky's passenger. The Death of rats had come to pay a visit. SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUI SQUI SQEEEEK.

A SLOW DAY, INDEED, agreed Death.

"So we have a deal, then?" Pushed the ghost. He wasn't going to let his friend get away with, well, murder. "One that is valuable dies and the rest live."

I'M LETTING YOU OFF EASY, Death said. BUT YOU'RE THE ONLY THING BESIDES A FELLOW SKELETON THAT'S BEEN MY FRIEND. VERY DIFFICULT WHEN YOU EXIST INTO INFINITY, LET ME TELL YOU.

"Great teller of stories, are you," said the ghost sarcastically. _I've probably heard all of them._

THANK YOU. HAVE I EVER TOLD YOU THE ONE ABOUT THE TIME I TRIED TO BECOME HUMAN? IT WAS QUITE ENTERTAINING AND MY DEAR BUTLER ALBERT RISKED HIS LIFE TO GET ME HOME. QUITE AN INTERESTING TALE . . . [Author's note: If you're really interested read _Soul Music_ by Terry Pratchett. It is hilarious. Other books with the main character Death include _Mort, Reaper Man (_not currently in print)_, _and _Hogfather._]

The ghost sighed and began to stare off into space. They were currently occupying the fifth dimension just above Europe. The ghost was not all-seeing, but at the moment he wanted to visit Mariemaia's friend Ender. He wasn't out of his coma. "Oh yeah," he interrupted Death. "Not Dennis Ender, either."

I WON'T GUARANTEE IT SINCE IT WASN'T INCLUDED IN THE DEAL, replied Death tersely. He hated being interrupted.

Binky neighed again.

WHAT, YOU TOO?

SQUEAK, SQUEAK SQUI SQUI SQEAK, said the Death of rats impatiently. His tiny bony hand pointed at Binky's saddlebag, where a sound likened to moving sand could be heard.

AH, I SHOULD GET ON MY WAY, Death said, taking the hint. (His schedule was determined— unless he chose to ignore it— by tiny hourglasses filled with white sand, labeled with names. Everybody had one, even most gods.) I BID YOU GOOD DAY, FRIEND.

"Have a nice trip," the ghost said idly.

I TOLD YOU, MY CLUMSINESS IS DUE TO THE FACT THAT BONE WEIGHT IS DISTRIBUTED UNEVENLY THROUGHOUT THE SKELETON, snapped Death. I GET SO SICK OF THOSE JOKES.

The ghost quickly apologized. "I meant 'have a nice journey.'"

OH, WELL, THEN, Death grinned sheepishly. It wasn't like he had much of a choice in the matter. GOOD DAY, FRIEND.

Binky rode off, away into space, back to the Discworld, where he was needed. Binky's mild trot was quite deceptive, as they arrived within a few seconds of leaving Earth's orbit.

The ghost sighed again, eyeing the spaceship that was approaching. He sensed Mariemaia aboard. It was a cargo and passenger ship, carrying all of the Specials and their equipment back from the asteroid base. Marie was staring glumly out the thick window when she caught sight of him for the first time. He made quite apparent his physical features for her, and smiled gently.

She slammed the window angrily.

"Oh," the ghost muttered. "That's the sweet little girl I used to know, all right." Strangely, he felt abandoned.

****

~~@[~*,~]@~~

"Hey Marie, did you hear the one about the Aries and the Kirin?" The pilot who Mariemaia had saved, Cam, poked his head over the back of his seat.

"No. Leave me alone," Mariemaia said, angry again. It was all _him_. Why the hell did he have to come barging into her life at a time like this? He'd always been cruel to the human spirit, but this was beyond precedent.

"Hey," said Ben, seated beside her. "We had a talk about this."

"You aren't being harassed by your past," Mariemaia countered. "Just let me be."

"I'll say it again, Marie. It's just your imagination."

"It's _not._ Besides, no matter what you think, it's what I _know_ that matters. So just drop it before I hit you or something."

"Aw, come on. It's not anyone's fault that you're being followed around by your dead—"

Mariemaia slapped a hand over his big mouth. "I warned you. Shut. Up."

He raised his hands in defeat, and she uncovered his face.

Cam, undaunted, continued. "So this Aries runs into this Karakadan, right? And he says, 'Hey you, you've got my beam saber!' The Karakadan says, 'How would you know?' Then the Aries says, 'well, you have two, don't you?' The Karakadan looks, and he indeed has two (I mean, standard equipment, right?) Not thinking, he gives one to the Aries. The Aries thanks him and then slashes right through him. He throws the beam saber away and goes to this Kirin. He says 'Hey you, you've got my beam saber!' The Kirin says "Oh yea? How would you know?" The Aries says 'It has my name on it!' The Kirin inspects it. "Really? I didn't know your name was _I stole this from Treize Khushrenada_!'

Mariemaia shot him a venomous look. "Don't you _ever_ say that name."

Cam blinked. "Whoa. Sorry. What's wrong with saying it? I mean, you can't still be afraid. The man's twelve years gone!"

"He ruined my life."

Ben looked at Cam. "Don't bring it up if you value your balls, man."

Cam, wide-eyed, sank into his seat. _I does indeed like a woman with spirit_.

****

~~@[~*,~]@~~

"Heeeeeroo!" Relena yelled, making her husband cringe.

"Doon't doooo thaaaaat!" He yelled back, making his way out to the upstairs hall. "What?"

"Get the baby!" She called, her arms full of boxes and papers and God knew what else. "I'm a little tied up at the moment!"

"Where is she?"

"In her crib down here!"

Heero made his way through the piles of junk strewn across the hall, on the stairs, in the entryway. Relena had a habit of spring-cleaning. It was rather annoying, even though he knew to be prepared. The worst part was the attic.

"Hey, sweetheart," he said, lifting his little daughter out of her crib in the kitchen. She was having a sneezing fit. "Yeah, I hate it, too. This whole house is dusty right now. Let's go outside." He cuddled the upset infant out the front door and into the grass. It was a nice day, unusually warm and cloudless. The weather had been particularly nice this week, and the grass was even turning green again. Considering that it was only April, that was a blessing.

Heero sat down a little way from the house and bounced Raina on his knee, absorbed in his daughter's simple open-mouthed smile and squeals of delight. His arms began to tire, so he laid back and cuddled her to his chest, staring out into the deep blue sky. _This is worth everything,_ he thought to himself.

Raina, deciding the fun was over, closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. She had slept a lot, but she wasn't very good at distinguishing day and night. Heero and Relena had been on twenty-four hour alert for the past two months. He started to yawn himself, and closed his eyes. The warm breeze wafted over him and the yellow sun made him comfortable.

Some time later, he was aware of a shadow across his face and upper chest. He opened his eyes and saw a little girl with red hair— no, wait. He saw a young woman with a bandana tied over frazzled light brown hair looking a little frustrated. "I spend my afternoon trying to fix up the house and you go out here and take a nap?" Relena demanded. "I was calling all over the house for you!"

Someone chuckled. Heero was distinctly aware of other presences. He explored his peripheral vision farther and found five familiar people. There was Akiko, who was giggling; Milliardo and Noin, and Trowa with his arm over Quatre's shoulder.

"What a sweet picture," Noin said. "You'll treasure that one."

Relena swung her camera. "I suppose you think I'm fixing dinner, too? Nice try, buster."

Heero swallowed, trying like hell not to blush. "Have you vacuumed in there yet?"

"If you'd like to do it."

He shrugged and sat up. "I just don't want Raina to have another allergy attack, is all." He deposited the baby in his wife's arms and stalked off towards the house.

"This is so much better than threatening," commented Noin after he was out of earshot. "I think I might try that on _you_ sometime." She jabbed Milliardo in the ribs and he gave her a look.

"I've got to go see him do housework," Trowa snickered. "Can't imagine Heero in an apron."

"He usually takes off his shirt," Relena said, grinning and rocking her sleeping daughter.

"Mom!"

"What? He's my husband, I'm allowed!"

Quatre shook his head. "That sounds so unlike you, Relena."

"Welcome to the other side of me," Relena said, flinging a stray hair out of her face. "I suppose we can go sit on the porch until conditions inside are livable again. I'm sorry about that. I didn't realize you all would be here today."

Milliardo rolled his eyes. "I thought maybe my little sister had been spared from the spring cleaning instinct, but I guess it was too much to hope for."

"I don't even have a place to _clean_ anymore," complained Noin. "If we just hadn't got involved in all that Preventer stuff we'd still have a nice little cottage on X-17530 and maybe we'd even have a baby . . . Oh Zechs, why can't we just quit?"

"Oh, is that what you're getting at?" Milliardo said, playing dumb.

"I'm not joking. We're getting too old for this. It's time to settle down." Noin put her head on his shoulder.

Milliardo made to put his arm around her waist and jabbed her lightly in the stomach. She bent to the side and let out a short laugh. It was her ticklish spot. It worked every time. "There's no reason not to feel young," he reminded her.

Quatre quickly turned at the sight of Heero's half-naked form in the living room with the vacuum.

"What? Am I not good enough?" Trowa asked, faking a hurt tone.

The others looked at them. Quatre blushed and tried to hide.

Relena laughed. "He is a treat, isn't he?"

She waved at her husband and he pretended to be engrossed in his chore.

"He's such a cutie sometimes."

"Mooom!"

****

~~@[~*,~]@~~

"Are we finally ready to take him home?" Wufei asked.

Phailin pondered her own thoughts, perched on Nataku's head crest. "Hm, what?"

Wufei sighed and repeated his question.

"Yeah, everything's stable."

"When, exactly, are you two going to tell me what went on in there?" Wufei demanded. Earlier that day Phailin had pulled Sally into a room and locked the door. She'd been very somber today.

She climbed down and jumped nimbly from Nataku's knee. "When we're alone," she said quietly.

Sally gave her a pitying look.

"What the hell is going on here?" Wufei yelled, but Sally just shook her head.

"You need to hear it from her."

"Women," he sighed.

Sally left the bay, presumably to go pack what remained of her medical supplies (they were the only three left on the base).

Phailin took his arm. "I think what we need is a good stiff drink," she said.

Wufei gave her a look. "And what happened to that 'I can't drink because I'm pregnant' attitude."

"I think what _you_ need is a good stiff drink," Phailin corrected herself.

"I'll go with that one." Wufei grinned. Phailin usually only had one motive for getting him drunk.

The last few weeks had been exhausting, although not unrewarding. He shot a still-disbelieving look at Nataku. His eyes flashed suggestively, if that was possible. He had Merin's humor. Suddenly he remembered the episode they'd had when they'd first arrived at the base . . . could Shenlong understand concepts like that? It certainly seemed that way. He suddenly didn't want to talk to the gundam. Not after what they'd done in the cockpit.

"Wuffie, coming?"

"You know I hate that name, woman."

She smirked. "Would you prefer—" she articulated a Thai word he probably couldn't have reproduced, let alone translated.

"What does it mean?" he asked.

She told him.

"No, I would not prefer that." Wufei paused. "Or maybe I would. Guess it depends on how much drink you give me."

"I only brought the hard stuff."

"Bring it on, my sapphire."

"You know, that's what my name really means." Phailin glanced back at him, swinging her hips and beckoning to the door.

"Your grandmother told me." Wufei gave her a seductive look and followed her out.

Phailin was already in their quarters when he arrived. She held out a shot glass. "One."

Wufei kicked it back and shut the door behind him. "One out of how many?"

She held up an industrial-sized bottle. "How ever much it takes, Chang."

"Hey, you're a Chang too now, you know. And you're two, if you count your stomach."

"You're not drunk enough, Chang." Phailin poured another.

"Two." Wufei said, throwing it down. He was getting quite good at it.

******_Several drinks and half an hour later******_

"Hopeya don' mind," Wufei slurred, obviously talking to the baby. He slurped an ounce of liquor out of his wife's bellybutton.

Phailin laughed at the tickling sensation, temporarily forgetting about her worry. "Why the sudden adventurousness, Wu?"

Wufei crawled back up even with her and kissed her. The smell of saki was strong on his breath (Heero had given them the bottle as a wedding present and she'd hidden it until the trip).

"I dunno. Maybe 'm just 'xcited." He said, grinning in the low light.

"Isn't that the whole point of this exercise?"

Wufei's fingers played lightly across her abdomen, tickling the tender skin. "I jus' drink th' damn stuff."

Phailin ran her hands through his stiff hair, loosening the gel and ruffling feathery soft strands. Generally he hated to have the style messed up, but he just grinned and urged her hands down over his neck and back. She cooperated without a word, wanting to distract herself from the news she had originally gotten him drunk to impart. It wasn't good news, necessarily. He'd be very upset when she finally mustered up the courage to tell him.

_But as for now, let him enjoy himself_, she thought. _I might as well, too_.

She massaged the taut muscles of his back, feeling the satisfaction of the hot flesh in her palms. Wufei took it as an invitation.

Hours later, they lay together, still short of breath. Phailin's motive for the drink, which was beginning to wear off Wufei, drifted back, souring the after-moment for her. She melted against his side, needing comfort.

"Somethin' wrong?" he asked, his voice noticeably less slurred. He knew her body language too well.

Before, Phailin had decided that Wufei had been too drunk. This was about the right level now. She sighed, trying to formulate the right words in her head. She had a tendency to get tongue-tied over difficult things like this. Finally, she decided to say it straight-out. "Wufei, we might lose the baby."

He was in his I-love-you-no-matter-what mood, which was much to be thankful for. He squeezed her shoulders tighter. "What?"

"I've been having trouble. Sally's afraid that the fetus might not survive."

"Wait a minute, you told Sally about that? I thought this was just between us."

"I had to talk to a doctor. She was the only one around when I started having the pain, okay? We've got confidentiality. Don't you trust her?"

"That wasn't the issue."

"No, I want to pursue that," she pressed, desperate to get off the subject of their dying child. "What exactly happened with you and her?"

"It was ten years ago."

"I have a right to know."

Wufei was silent. He was obviously thinking hard. Finally, he gave in. "All right, but keep in mind that this was a long time ago. Don't hold it against me."

"That doesn't give me a whole lot of confidence."

"I had been declared an adult by my clan. I believed myself to be an adult, though I suppose I really wasn't. Out in space, when we did our Preventer work, no laws applied except the morals of the individual. In short, Sally convinced me to sleep with her."

Phailin was appalled. "And you let her talk you into it? My god, she was five years older than you at the time!"

Wufei shrugged, obviously embarrassed. "It was against my better judgement. Her assertiveness took me by surprise, mostly. I never would have thought she was that attracted to me. After about a month of her pushing me around like that I got fed up and left, leaving behind a lot of angry words. A few months later she called and apologized to me, and I've tried hard to forgive. It's difficult to get over being taken advantage of. I suppose that's part of what happened that night at Yensu. I was a little desperate to overcome the sense of being an inferior lover."

Phailin laughed. It had been a fun night. "I don't think you quite made up for it."

"No, neither do I." Wufei sighed and rubbed her arm absently. "But, it's the truth. I don't think you should worry about me being stolen again. Sally knows better than that. I wouldn't even consider it, anyway. Not with the little one on the line."

Phailin winced inwardly. They were back to the subject of their baby. She didn't want to remember what Sally had told her. Still, the words came drifting back: _The pre-birth death rate is somewhere around fifty percent these days, even with all this technology. Sometimes genes get mutated so much that it would just be better to have the baby die than to have it live with a lifelong deformity._ "Do you want a son, Chang?" she asked quietly, unable to fully initialize her voice.

"Honestly, I hadn't really thought about it." Wufei's voice was pretty much back to normal. The story of him and Sally seemed to have sobered him quite a bit.

Phailin smiled. That was a comforting thought, that he hadn't been wishing for a son. Had she finally conquered his superior-inferior sex ways of thinking? She nuzzled his chest gently and closed her eyes. She was exhausted.

Wufei took the hint and fell silent. They slept, not concerned about what time they'd need to get up.

*******************************************

_That got a little more racy than I intended. Oh well. Hope I didn't make anyone start choking or anything *Grins Evilly*. I bid you guys adeu._

-Itsumo


	8. Goodbye, Cruel World

_Umm, okay, I finally got this done. It seems like it's taken me forever. Neways . . . this chapter's pretty dramatic, not very funny. Some people think about death and make resolutions. You get to be more in-depth about a few of the characters I haven't covered all that much, and some other little things._

****

AC 207: The Hands of Fate (Part VIII)

**Goodbye, Cruel World**

"Dennis! Oh, Dennis!" Mariemaia threw her arms around the frail fifteen-year old boy, not able to contain her relief.

Dennis's face lit up like Cheryl— who'd been his nurse this past month— had never seen. He flashed handsome white teeth and hugged his one and only friend as tight as his deteriorated muscles would let him.

"Oh, honey . . . Mariemaia said in his weak grip. "You look terrible." His body was network of scars, both from injury and desperate, hasty surgery. His face had been spared, but she knew he'd never want to shave his head once his hair grew out again. Features that would one day be quite handsome once he outgrew the "cuteness" stared back at her, wincing. He wasn't even close to finished healing yet. She helped him lay back down.

"Were you worried about me?" he said, soft brown eyes eating through her in-control facade.

"You, me, my uncle, the others . . ." she sighed.

"What?"

She patted his hand. "Nothing you need to hear about now, in any case. A lot's happened out there.

She'd caught his attention, however. "No, what's going on? They won't let me have the television on in here."

Mariemaia sighed and explained what had happened, carefully extracting the part about her breakdown in the process. History had always been Dennis's favorite subject despite of the lack of appeal it had to other people. When she'd first begun tutoring him, it was all he had been willing to learn. Mariemaia had discovered if she started to teach Dennis about the people involved in other subjects— like the philosopher Albert Einstein— [Keep in mind, far in the future . . .] he'd been much more agreeable to those subjects. In fact, Dennis had learned, memorized, could comprehend and explain, and wrote a paper on the entire theory of relativity within five days. He was one of the all-too-common brilliant underachievers. Much like Einstein himself.

Dennis studied his hands for a minute. "I think Beliv will make another push very soon."

Mariemaia blinked. "Why?"

"Erik Beliv is not good at controlling his emotions. To make up for his overwhelming embarrassment over both the loss of one of his battleships and his hostage Relena Darlian, he's going to strike for a weaker colony somewhere deep within the border - stab at the heart, so to speak. This would not only gain him territory, but will also catch his enemies at a disadvantage." Dennis shrugged. It is a classical tactic for someone of his mental stature. Catch the enemy off its guard to cover up your own embarrassment. It works with the media all the time, and Beliv's played that tactic before. For instance, his big movement for Earth disarmament came at just the right amount of time after his attempted rape of Ms Darlian to have been hastily planned yet still work totally to his advantage. Most of Earth's remaining weapons were destroyed, leaving the planet mostly defenseless, should he try to form a colony revolution, yet at the time he played in favor to the majority of earthlings, who at that time wanted an everlasting peace. It's a lot more tactful than it seems from first glance. Kind of reminds me of Treize Khushrenada."

Mariemaia winced at her father's name. Dennis was completely and utterly right, though. "You know, you should become a military strategist. I can talk to Lady Une for you," she said lightly, trying to change the subject.

Dennis's dark eyes sparked with interest. "Could you?"

"I can talk to her next time we meet. I can't promise an immediate response, but I can recommend you."

Dennis relaxed, grinning again. "That's fine." He wasn't, however, able to be deterred. "You don't like it when people talk about your father, do you?"

Mariemaia swallowed and looked away. Finally, she said: "Everybody sees me as his living testament— ever since I made my little speech about carrying out his will. I was mistaken about what he wanted, but my blunder can never be reversed. People see me like I should be my father. I think people believe that I was raised under his care. The truth is, he never knew I existed! I was a mistake, an accident. How my mother managed . . . I don't really want to know."

"I'd imagine the only way she survived would be by your grandfather's support— after divulging the delicate subject of your patronage," Dennis said without hesitation. His mind, newly awoken from a life-threatening coma, was buzzing quite loudly.

"I meant how she even acquired such a man in the first place," she said quietly, "but I see your point. How cheap." Mariemaia shifted her position, sitting on Dennis's bed. She ran the conversation through her head, again and again at maximum speed until the ghostly image returned and hovered in her mental vision. "God, it wouldn't have been so bad if he didn't show himself!" she exploded, jumping to feet that were already sore from pacing. She'd said the line a thousand times in her head but this was the first time she'd said it aloud. She suddenly felt much less harried.

Dennis looked at her wisely, urging her to continue with his attentive silence. He knew her well enough to control his comments.

"I don't know who the hell he thinks he is, playing to be my guardian angel or something. He gives me these looks that say he's sorry for putting me through what I've gone through, but that isn't enough. He's so damn persistent. It's like he doesn't understand that my position can't be reversed right now. Though I hate it, it can't work for the goal I want any other way."

"He's still around? How did he find out about you, I wonder?" Dennis had always been very open to things such as ghosts and spirits and magic. His unquestioning belief comforted Marie.

"What can I do?" she asked quietly.

Dennis was silent for a long while. He avoided her hard, demanding gaze, looking out the window or at a picture on the wall or the various monitors strewed around his bed. Finally, he said, "Maybe you should listen. Give him a chance. He might be able to help end this. I wouldn't put it beyond his capabilities."

"I can't forgive him for what he did to me," Mariemaia said. "That's why it's so hard to do that."

Dennis sighed, suddenly patronizing. "You must overcome the personal pain. Isn't that what you tried to say to me? Look at what happened. Besides, you can't blame him. He had no way of knowing."

Mariemaia's heart fell. He was right. The boy three years her underclassman had seen straight through her soul. "The worst part is, I can't get anyone else to believe me."

There was a soft knock against the door panel. Marie looked up sharply to see Heero Yuy standing there. "I couldn't help but overhear," he said softly, as if embarrassed at being so rude. "I might be easier to make people believe than you think," he told her. "As long as you convey the ultimate belief you have. You can work miracles on people. I've made speeches off of that ideology."

Marie looked at him, the face and body that seemed so much less worn than it had a month ago. He'd obviously been resting. "Do you believe me?"

"Frankly, it wouldn't surprise me if Treize's ghost was following you around. To be honest, I think he's trying to make up for lost time. I had quite a shock when my wife came home pregnant. I couldn't imagine what it'd be like to never meet my own daughter in person. I've discussed this briefly with Une, and she knew him better than anyone, really. She says he's the type that would have been a good, responsible father, though perhaps a bit overprotective."

Heero sighed and brushed chocolate-brown hair out of his face. "Well, I came here to talk with Ender at Trowa's request, but I see you two are visiting so I'll come back later. Good afternoon."

Just like that, he disappeared. Mariemaia shrugged off the feeling that he had disappeared up an air-conditioning vent and turned back to her friend. She tried to think of something lighter to say.

Dennis grinned, sensing her discomfort. "How do you like your Kirin? I hear the Specials got custom models . . ."

****

~~@[~*,~]@~~

Heero shook his head, trying to make sense out of the conversation that he'd just overheard. _Could it be true?_ He asked himself. _Could he really still be trying to manipulate things?_ That was something he'd have to talk to Trowa about— no, on second thought he wouldn't. Trowa probably wouldn't believe his niece. He wouldn't talk to anyone. That would be violating Marie's trust.

He wandered past the waiting room of the London hospital and stopped, surprised to see Phailin and Wufei with a woman he vaguely recognized. They all looked upset. Heero caught Wufei's eye and the Chinese man scowled at him.

Heero quickly went about his business. _Kind of odd,_ he thought, embracing his wife and daughters outside (their flight had just arrived).

****

~~@[~*,~]@~~

"The prognosis is worse than I even suspected. The doctor said you shouldn't expect more than a few hours," Sally told them grimly. She gave Phailin a pitying look. "I'm sorry. These things happen, I'm afraid."

Phailin drew a deep breath and reached for her husband's hand. She looked to him, but he only growled. "Wufei . . ."

"What do you want me to say?" he said, his voice angry, berating. "Why does everything always have to happen to _me_? He muttered to himself. "Leave me alone, woman!" He threw down his arms and stormed off.

Phailin looked after him, an expression somewhere between shock and rage on her face. " . . . Bastard . . ." she whispered.

Sally looked back and forth between Wufei's retreating back and the obviously upset Phailin. "What was that?"

Phailin shook her head vigorously. "Forget about it. For some reason, I just knew he'd do that. I . . . is there any way to know exactly when?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "I want to know the instant it's gone." Despite Phailin's ferocity and toughness she was, well, a woman. Her instinct to protect her child rose above all else.

Sally thought. "We could hook you up to the ultrasound. It would show the heartbeat."

Phailin nodded, hand pressed against her stomach. "I would like that."

****

~~@[~*,~]@~~

Relena found Phailin in the maternity ward. She had been wandering around, smiling at all the new little miracles when she spotted the door being closed to an ultrasound room. She smiled at the thought, but as soon as she saw the expression on Phailin's face she knew it was bad news. She stuck her head in the window, and Phailin gave her the motion to enter.

"What's up?" she asked quietly, closing the door with a soft click. She walked over to the woman and took her hand, realizing the relevance of Wufei's fit outside.

"I want to know . . . when it's over," Phailin said. "I can't help, but I want to at least say I did everything I could."

Relena felt saddened. She gave her friend a tight hug. "It must be so horrible to know," she reflected quietly.

Phailin sat and unwound the sash around her outfit, unraveling it carefully to expose only her stomach. The interesting cultural costumes she wore were not made like shirts and jeans. "Hook me up, Sally."

Relena started at the name. She looked up, into the face of a woman she had once known. Sally nodded. "Hello, Ms. Darlian. It's good to see you well."

"I like the hair."

"I just had it styled this morning," Sally replied. It was cut very short, in the current fashion of the London area. She poured a little cold gel on the slight bulge of somewhat pale olive skin and spread it around. She spent a minute locating the fetus and then locked the ultrasound in place in a metal arm extended over the Thai woman. "There it is," she said simply. Can you hear the heartbeat?"

Phailin tried to relax on the padded table, though her eyes searched the moving picture longingly. "I hear it."

"I guess this answers the question of why Wufei was so upset," Relena said. You poor thing. This must be torture for you.

Phailin snorted, dismissive. "I don't want him anywhere near me if he's going to act like it's all my fault again. He was being so accepting about it, but just now . . . he's a pig. All men are pigs, I've come to believe," Phailin said bitterly. "How could he disappoint me like this?"

Relena took a last glance at the screen and stood, still patting Phailin's hand absently. "Well, I'm going to go look into that. You can't let him abandon you like that. That's flat against the rules."

"Don't trouble yourself. I will teach him a lesson later."

Relena shook her head stubbornly. "No, he needs to be here now or he'll never get over it. You won't have him with you in your time of need. Trust me on this one. You can't let him skate."

Phailin started to protest, but sighed and fell silent. She turned back to the image of her little deformed child, and even she was able to see why it was better it died.

Relena stormed down the hall, as angry as she'd ever been.

****

~~@[~*,~]@~~

Heero had snuck up behind him so quietly and so quickly that Wufei didn't even know it until he felt the sharp blow across the back of his head. Heero wiped sticky hair gel onto his jeans and gave him a disdainful look. "What in holy hell do you think you're trying to pull, baka?" he demanded.

Wufei growled, but was seeing stars from Heero's kindness and wouldn't have won a battle with the Japanese man. "And why the hell do you care?"

"Because my wife is making me care," Heero said. "I probably would anyway, you know that?" Without giving Wufei time to think, he shoved him down into the car they had come in. He climbed in after and locked the doors and windows.

"Now you're gonna listen to me, and listen to me good, understand? I'm sick and tired of these little bullshit games you play. Relena's outright disgusted by your behavior, and I'm certainly getting there. You should be in there with your wife. No, I didn't give you permission to talk. When you married Phailin, you took on all the responsibilities of a husband and a father. You promised her you would support her in times of need. You promised her eternal loyalty and commitment, and you promised to have an equal hand in raising your kids. That's your child that's dying in there, Wufei, and whether or not you want to witness it's death is beside the point. Phailin _has_ to. She's upset and the only one she wants for comfort is you, though she may not admit it to all of us. You have the obligation to be with your wife. Share what you are feeling with her, or I know you two aren't going to work out. Swallow your pride, Chang, and do the right thing. It's dishonor if you don't." Heero finished his little rant, red in the face but cold in the eyes. He opened the door and stepped out, not waiting to see if Wufei would do the same.

That lack of caring set Wufei off. How could he preach about honor when he had two little _healthy_ children of his own? How did he know how it felt?

With one motion he disembarked from the vehicle and lunged at Heero. Heero sidestepped and Wufei missed. "Who the hell do you think you are, dammit! You don't know what it's like to lose a wife and children!"

Heero turned around, his glare so full of daggers Wufei had trouble not thinking of his katana at home. "Oh, and how would you know?" Heero caught Wufei's shirt and brought them nose-to-nose. "I had to _kill_ my own child once. Neither of us had been thinking, and Relena wasn't even eighteen at the time she got pregnant. She had to have an abortion. You know how that felt? I promised I'd never kill anyone again, and I broke that promise. I still grieve over that. So shut your mouth and go comfort your wife."

Wufei staggered back. One look from the enraged Heero was all it took. As he paced through the hospital, Wufei's mind reinitiated itself. He actually found himself feeling sorry for Heero. Beyond that, he knew he had to apologize to his wife. From how it sounded, she was very upset with him. _I guess I would be, too,_ he admitted. He began to rehearse his words in his head.

Wufei spotted Sally in the ultrasound room, but Phailin wasn't with her. "I sent her to a room to rest up a bit. She was quite angry with you still. I think you'd better go share a little pain with her before she gets too set in seeking revenge. A woman like that could do you serious harm."

"I know," Wufei said, rolling up his sleeve to show her the scar he'd gotten for being a smartass to her. "Where's the room?"

Sally told him the number and he left in a hurry. He approached quietly and peered in the window on Phailin. She was lying on her side on top the sheets, curled up slightly with her back to the door.

Wufei swung the light door open, trying not to make a sound. He closed it just as quietly and sat down on the small bed. She didn't shift, but she knew he was there all the same. She spoke only when he touched her hip gently. "Go away."

Wufei sighed quietly and recalled his fingers. The gesture had meant well, but she was apparently not buying his apology. Then, he realized with a start why not. He felt his heart fall into his stomach. With a final decision, he took a deep breath and ignored his doubts. She'd always made him do that. He didn't want to lose her over something so minor. "I'm sorry," he said, eyes downcast and looking at the floor.

He sensed confusion arise in place of Phailin's anger. She didn't ask, but he could sense the words in the air: _Why did you abandon me, Chang?_ He could even hear her voice scolding him.

Wufei kicked off his sandals and curled up next to her. He put his hand on her waist again. This time, she didn't object. "I'm sorry," he said again, more definite. "I— it was being irresponsible of me, for sure. You shouldn't have to be strong for yourself all the time. I said that when we were first together, but you need my help so rarely I forget how much we really need each other. I've always been solitary. It's a hard habit to kick, even now.

"It's not the first time I've had a child die. When Merian was killed, I found out later that she'd been carrying a child. She probably didn't even know herself. It broke my heart, as much as I loved her. Her father was so angry with me . . . It was the last straw for them. That's when I was asked to leave, when they found out I hadn't saved an innocent child's life. God, I spent years wallowing over that! I couldn't go watch our child die . . . too many bad memories erode my strength in times like this. I don't know if you understand, or will ever understand the pain I still feel for her and my unborn son. When you said that it was deformed because of bad genes, it made me blame myself. I . . . I feel so guilty, Phailin! I can't bare it!"

Phailin breathed in sharply and it was only then that he realized she was crying. He'd never seen her cry much before. She was always the strong one, fixed with the resolve to be even to his bravery. She rolled over and pressed her body against his in a very animal reaction that surprised him in its suddenness. He enfolded her in a tight hug, caring little about the awkwardness and the weight of her on top of his arm. In that instant, Wufei knew he'd never face the pain she did emotionally. Being a soldier was blissfully uncomplicated. Slowly, her sobs changed from those of remorse to those of relief. Wufei chided himself for not coming to comfort her sooner. Habitually, he stroked her soft blue-black hair, loose like it was so rarely.

"It's not just that, either," he continued, mumbling against the side of her head. "It's you, Phailin, it's you. I want a child so bad, and it's hard not to be jealous of Heero and Duo . . . it all seemed as easy for them as it's been difficult for us. I imagine days ahead like I see theirs today, with you by my side. Always you. I want to share such an experience with only you. There's nothing I want more than to make you happy, Phailin, nothing. I know you see those children in the same way. Tell me you share these feelings, please, Phailin . . ." He trailed off into silence, listening to her faint cries of yes, feeling her lips move against his shoulder. He literally felt her shiver at his words, "If something happened to you, I'd kill myself."

After many minutes of emotional silence and draining, Phailin opened her swollen eyes and looked into his, still locked tightly and securely in his arms. "It's not your fault," she whispered, the pain already ebbing out of her voice. "It's not anyone's. I'm glad it's over . . . no child needs to suffer through life as ours would have. Buddha . . . Buddha taught that life was full of suffering. I've gone through all my life knowing it, through the death of my father and the sufferings of that wretched training and my painful disguises that eventually led me to the best thing that's ever touched upon my life. If I could go back and undo all of it, I wouldn't. I would never have met you. This death will lead us to more joyous times once we have a healthy child. We must always remember the sacrifice it made."

"I should have no problem with that," Wufei said, feeling the immense tension in his wife ease considerably. "How soon do you think we'll be ready to try again?"

****

~~@[~*,~]@~~

Drifting

_I can't take it anymore._

Drifting through a cloud of doubt,

the boy is left without

__

What good am I doing here? I'm no use to anyone. I just cause trouble.

Drifting, he no longer feels the pain

of what others call shame

__

I'm not asking for forgiveness. I'm asking for release.

Drifting past the point of no return,

knowing he's going to burn

__

Please, just let me go.

Drifting, the hope he felt is gone once more,

and a light shines behind the door__

It will be better this way.

Drifting,

because he let go.

****

~~@[~*,~]@~~

The nurse walked into Dennis's room, happy of the thought of seeing his bright face. He'd been so happy since that red-haired girl had come to visit. Her eyes tracked to his bed, and she screamed in horror and shock.

He was lying in a pool of bright red blood. His pure white bedsheets were stained with it. Weak, almost too weak to move, he turned his head to give her the most pitiful look she'd ever seen on someone his age. His slit wrists lay at his sides, and the knife he'd used on his dinner was clutched tight in one fist. "It's better this way," he whispered sadly. Dark eyelids closed over those beautiful chocolate-brown eyes and the black boy's youthful face no longer seemed so innocent.

She ran for the emergency team, but she feared it was too late for him.

****

~~@[~*,~]@~~

It was a little past two in the morning. The baby had finally settled down, but Sophie found herself wide-awake. Duo's soft snoring beside her usually lulled her off to sleep, especially when she was as exhausted as she was, but tonight all it made her do was feel irritated.

Her client didn't know it, seeing as how her name had changed, but he was asking her to look into the financial and legal background of the one family that she swore would never seek place in her thoughts again. They had a long history of dishonesty, and Sophilia Dukovne of the extremely rich, extremely powerful Dukovne family had nothing to do with it. She had written herself out of the book, so to speak.

Her father had always been a decent man, but his reputation was stained by her greedy mother's infamous troubles with money and illegal substances and gambling and only God knew what else. Her brothers and sisters all dabbled in it as well; they had the spoils of their parents. Out of five, Sophie seemed to be the only one of them that had never been in trouble with the law. Of course, they always got away with it because of the money.

The call she'd gotten that afternoon had been very disquieting. Sophie had almost flat refused the man help, but changed her mind after sorting through the morality. It really wasn't her problem. What he had asked for wasn't much. He was merely asking for hard data to be used in court against her eldest brother (of course, he didn't know Joseph was her brother). Sophie gave him what she knew and promised to look into it. After the episode when she'd stormed out of their summerhouse never to return, however, she hardly wanted to go snooping back, even if it was just through computers.

She sighed and rolled out of bed. Feeling the warm carpet on her bare toes. Even in her thin silk nightgown— though she was becoming a bit self-conscious since she'd given birth to Vincent— the L.A. winter did not chill her in the slightest. Duo, in his underwear, protested sleepily as the sheets were pulled off and tugged them back. She brushed unruly black curls out of her face and studied her sleeping husband for a moment.

She'd been eighteen when she'd fled her family, denounced all inheritances and disappeared into the crowd of people like she'd never been born. She had not taken nearly as much money as she needed and was wandering the streets when she'd encountered a twenty-two-year-old Duo Maxwell on the steps of an old church. She distinctly remembered the rain, cold and lashing, and remembered him looking upon her with pity and giving her his coat. He offered the warm refuge of the church, and insisted rather forcibly when she refused. Sophie had always hated churches, as she even to this day hated God for the life he had given her. Over a hot bowl of soup they spoke, reluctantly on her part, about how even a simple kindness should never be ignored. Despite Duo's publicity, he really wasn't the immature little twerp the press made him out to be. He was kind and decent, like a priest but without the celibacy.

Sophie had never told Duo about her family. She was afraid of his criticism, his concern and his insistence that a person should always make amends. Her family had been preying on her for years, and Sophie had long ago accepted that they would never forgive one another. She made a decision: She was going to surface one last time to tell them goodbye forever. She had just turned twenty-three. She was a mother, a wife, and as much as she hated it she was a sister and daughter too. She couldn't keep chasing herself around in circles. She had to end it for good.

At her computer, she dialed up the familiar number. It was her father's private line, and she thought it would be easier to talk to them. The rest of her family was too unpredictable.

It rang once, twice. After five there was a click. "You've reached the number you've dialed. So, if you've got news, leave a message."

That was very unlike the warm, friendly David Dukovne she used to know. In fact, that message sounded almost paranoid. There was a beep. Sophie took a deep breath. "Hey, it's me. I just called to say that this is the last time. It's final. I can't keep up the tension any longer and I'm sick of staying out of the way of the spy network you have rigged up to trap me. I'm never going to forgive you, and I'm not sorry I ran away. I'm not coming home, and I have a right to privacy. I don't spy on you, you know. For the last time, goodbye." She gently replaced the receiver and her family crest disappeared from the screen. It was done. She could finally say goodbye to the cruel world that had dragged her down all her life. Her shoulders felt considerably less burdened.

****

~~@[~*,~]@~~

Death tutted and shook his skull sadly. The ghost of Treize stared at him angrily. Behind them, Binky neighed impatiently.

IT'S MY JOB, Death insisted.

"We had a deal," said the ghost.

I CAN'T ABANDON MY JOB. IT'S HAPPENED BEFORE AND ALL IT GOT ME WAS A LOT OF GRIEF. Death's flawless memory dredged up the images of the Discworld in chaos.

"You promised!"

Death swung his scythe, pretending not to hear. He didn't want to be a traitor.

***********************************************

_Argh, is Dennis going to die? Heh heh, you're going to have to wait. I should have the next chapter up REALLY SOON!_

-Itsumo


	9. Choices

_Awwrighty folks, this is the chapter I know you've all been hungering for. Let me tell you, it's been a temptation to publish it early but my homework won out over my computer time *sigh*. I actually got so bored that I wrote both endings to this chapter (I'm only posting the one, though). My thanks to the 22 people that kept my fic going - thanks for the support, I really appreciate it! Now, no more stalling, huh?_

**AC 207: The Hands of Fate (Chapter IX)**

**"Choices"**

It was the next day when there came a soft knock at the front door. Sophie was in the shower, so she didn't notice. The doorbell rang and she swore softly. What a time for a visitor! Hurriedly, she wound her hair up in a turban and tugged on her bathrobe.

He was a big man, thickly built but not overweight. His dark curly hair was dominated more with gray than she remembered, and his somber black suit replaced by a polo shirt and jeans. There were dark circles under his eyes, as if he hadn't slept for weeks. He looked at her half in surprise and half in amazement.

"D— dad?" Sophie gasped, unable to force anything else from her deflated lungs. Her heart leapt in sudden excitement.

David Dukovne's face brightened, and he threw long muscular arms around his daughter. "Sophie, it is you! Oh, God child, you could never imagine how good it was to hear your voice last night!"

"I was saying goodbye!" Sophie struggled out of his grip. She loved her father more than most things, but he and her mother and siblings had always come as a package deal. "I can't stand you guys any more. I need my own life!"

He caught her chin in his gentle, rough-skinned hand. "You called the wrong man, then, I'm afraid. My dear, your mother and I haven't spoken since the day you left. That message you left gave me a spark of insight. I've called the metaphorical hounds your mother had sent off your trail. We divorced, and none of my children have even so much as sent a Christmas letter. I had to come after you called. I just wanted to see your face, Sophie!"

Sophie sank into his words, leaning on every familiar spin his Jewish accent put on them. She looked at him in shock. How could she have missed that when she had gone through records last night? Knowing that was one of many questions she'd need answered, she stepped back and gestured inside. "Please, come in."

Immediately, her acute hearing picked up some noise, and she excused herself and rushed off. David wondered momentarily what it was, but distracted himself with the decor. His daughter's dream had once been to be an interior decorator, and the house did her justice. He questioned why she needed such a big house just for herself and her humble private investigator business. There were no picture frames for him to study in the living room, although he had seen a few out in the hall. He, however, respected his daughter's desire to host him in the living room and settled down on the couch.

After a few minutes, Sophie came back, dressed in a button-up shirt and sweat-pants, cradling a blanket to her chest. David's eyes widened as he realized what it was. "My lord, I'm a grandfather!"

Sophie smiled and blushed, sitting down beside her father to give him a better view of the baby. "His name's Vincent," she said, stroking the wisps of black hair affectionately as he worked at his late-morning breakfast.

"And does Vincent have a last name?" Always the concerned father, David was ready to go beat the snot out of an abandoning paternal figure.

Sophie laughed at his tension, making Vincent protest as he lost his grip. She apologized to her son absently. "His full name's Vincent James Maxwell. My husband's at work right now. Calm down!"

David chuckled at his own over-protectiveness. "I suppose you were always better at easing my stress than I am on my own."

"I noticed your answering machine message sounded more than a little paranoid," she admitted. "What's happened that's made you so careful?"

David waved his hand, dismissive. "You know how your mother holds grudges. I'm afraid for my money . . . maybe even my life. She got the short end of the stick when we divorced, so to speak. It's become more of a habit than anything else."

Sophie leaned forward. "No, tell me. I want to know what happened."

**~~@[~*,~]@~~**

"He's lost too much blood." The doctor shook his head sadly. "I don't think this kid's going to make it."

Dennis's eyes blinked open, startling the nurse. "Life has indeed been a great adventure," he croaked, a grin on his face. "I don't see why death would not be an even greater one."

**~~@[~*,~]@~~**

Heero sat at the head of the table, not speaking despite the furious argument. The senator who had last spoken calmly made an interesting point. _Why are we fighting? _he wondered. _And why is this war compared to the one ten years ago? They're exactly the opposite of each other. I wish Treize Khushrenada was still alive. He'd be able to keep this under control._

Beside him, Mariemaia growled. "Stop it!" she shouted finally, pounding her fists against the table and causing water glasses to bounce. "How are we going to obtain settlement if we can't even keep peace among ourselves?"

The senators gave each other embarrassed looks and began to calm down. Relena nodded in thanks to Mariemaia. "She speaks the truth, ladies and gentlemen. In fact, I would go so bold as to say that this is why this war started: foolishness and indecision allowed authority to become distracted. Do we want to repeat that mistake so soon?"

There was a mumbled chorus of nos.

"Then, let us continue."

"Mr. Yuy," an elder senator said. "We have yet to get your opinion on this."

Heero blinked coldly. "I was wondering when you would come to me. This responsibility seems to have been shoved into my arms. If you are really asking my view, I'm afraid I'm going to have to disappoint you all. The time has come when the Gundams' true purpose is finally acknowledged. We can't hide why they were really built any longer, or deny it as we all do, especially because we are not fooling anyone but ourselves. We have to fight. It is not I that have objections to fighting with them. I believe in the battlefield. Phailin?"

Phailin, still recovering with her tragic experience that morning, nodded, knowing what Heero wanted her to explain. She touched the paper she had written to help her with this presentation. "The gundams were rebuilt only with blueprints that the government had come into possession of, the engineers reported. They did, however admit to having needed to hunt for special parts from the original gundams. The hunt actually took years, but the gundams would not be complete without these parts. In fact, the necessary equipment from the originals was the head. The inner heads were extremely protected from the self-detonation devices, for good reason.

"Some time ago, the gundams Sandrock and Shenlong began to communicate. They revealed to the pilots that they disliked their utilization in these wars. The mobile suits are alive, they claimed. They were not being hacked, nor had they been tampered with. Captain Chang and Shenlong gave me permission to dig into Shenlong's head to figure out what was causing this self-awareness. My suspicion that is was the NERV circuits was correct, but it was more than that. The gundams are living creatures. Their biological germanium-based brains survive on electrical energy, as their bodies are mechanical. This is why the gundams were such revolutionary war-machines; a direct mental interface between suit and pilot cuts reaction delay time down to almost nothing. Germanium is a metalloid, and the fact that the NERV circuits were made of this was overlooked, but germanium is also in the same family as carbon, which is why it is a good element to create life from. Myself and several other engineers are investigating this incredible discovery, and should have further results at a later date."

On Heero's other side, his wife's jaw fell open. She looked at him quizzically and he shrugged. Heero had known for a long time that Zero thought. He didn't know the technicalities of it and could have survived without knowing. "A reminder," he said over the voices of the excited politicians. "This issue is extremely top-secret. _No word of it leaves this conference chamber, _understood?"

Mariemaia studied her hands, a little shocked. _Is that's what's happened with my Kirin? And if my suspicions are correct . . . doesn't it not matter if it gets out— since all the designs utilize that technology anyway?_

The intercom buzzed. "I have an urgent message for Mariemaia Khushrenada," said the guard.

Mariemaia leaned forward. "I'm here. Go ahead."

There was a pause. "Dennis Ender's condition has been updated to Urgently Critical. He's been taken back to the emergency room."

Mariemaia went pale. She glanced at her uncle, who nodded. "Please, excuse me," she said, rushing out of the room almost in panic.

"Dennis Ender, that boy that killed Senator Shimra?" asked Senator Terry Farmer.

"Mariemaia's been caring for the boy. Please, on to business," Trowa said.

Heero took his friend's cue. "That is not all we discovered on Ms. Darlian's rescue mission. Vincent, the floor is yours."

The black-haired young man further down the table nodded. "I was one of two of Lady Une's Preventer/Specials to be on the rescue team, because my companion Tovah and I were already there with Beliv's fleet, on a spy mission. We, however, had been unable to get much information, until Ms. Darlian came along anyway. It wasn't until we were imprisoned that we had the spare time on our hands to hack into Beliv's database. This is where it gets handy to have me around." Vincent rolled up his left sleeve and bent his wrist back. There was a pop as he manipulated the hatch with his other hand, and artificially-created flesh attached to a metal panel popped open. "I lost my hand when I was twelve to a piece of heavy machinery. The artificial hand I invested in when I was eighteen contains a computer chip that is wired into my nerves so the limb operates smoothly. When I was promoted to the Specials and then recruited into the Preventers, I upgraded the chip so that I could have a large amount of spare memory. This chip is worth a lot more than some of the houses you guys live in, and I was able to download a lot of information, almost all the files on the ship's database. I haven't been able to have access to a computer with enough memory to get the downloads off this chip, which is why I have two bodyguards in this room right now."

The senators glanced around nervously. Milliardo and Heero did their best to do the same and not glance at each other, as Relena had been reluctant to trust Vincent to anyone else.

Heero said, "Likewise, this issue is not to be discussed outside of these doors. This information could be the turning point in this war."

Une nodded to Vincent. "I'll make sure and give you access to a Preventer database. Speaking of which, I think it is time to shift world funding back to Preventer work. The war is here, and the Preventers continue to require money if these covert operations are to carry on."

The Head of the Treasury Department cleared his throat. "Colonel Une, funds are stretched tight as it is—"

"Fine, but we have a much greater chance of losing this war without the Preventers."

"— and we may have to cut money to other departments more concerned with public relations."

"NO!" Quatre protested. "Public relations are _very_ important right now! We must unite the Colonies Clusters L1, L2, L3, L4 and L5 with us before we progress much further. Without them, Beliv has a much larger force than us and could leave Earth in shreds. Besides that, we need public cooperation even just here! The riots and protests have distracted our fighting forces drastically. If we leave the civilians on their own, we could break into civil war!"

**~~@[~*,~]@~~**

Beliv mused in his private cabin, entertained. The repairs to his flagship had progressed rather to his satisfaction. The loss of Princess Relena had been a blow, to be sure, but they would recover. Of course, her kidnapping had been unplanned, but it had affected his plans and delayed his actions. There was a knock on his door. "Yes?" he called.

Beliv's second-in-command Dorothy Catelonia stepped into his chambers. "Sir, I've come to inform you that we have new information you might find rather useful in your pursuit of ruining Relena Darlian." She nodded informally and stepped into his chambers without further beckoning. She dropped an exquisitely manicured hand on his shoulder and handed him a data card.

Beliv, already sitting at his computer console, plugged the disc in and opened the first of three files. It was two images of birth certificates. One was Akiko Yuy, Born May 28, After Colony 201 and Raina Yuy, born January 20, After Colony 207. Both were born to mother Relena Darlian, but the father was unlisted. The second file was an image of a marriage certificate, uniting Heero Yuy and Relena Darlian. The third and definitely most valuable was a photograph of Yuy, Darlian the two children together. It was very recent, taken only a week previous.

Dorothy smirked. "I had wondered why Eciane was so excited about these."

Beliv nodded. "We have no proof that Yuy is the father of the two girls," he pointed out. "Only that he is married to the Princess."

"Good point," Dorothy said, her face growing more malicious. "This should be enough from that spy of yours, shouldn't it?"

"If he could find us more it would be minimal compared to these," Beliv agreed.

Dorothy smiled to herself. The war so far had been meager and dry. She couldn't wait for the goose to fatten up a little more. She glanced idly at her watch. "Oh yes, and the staff meeting's in five minutes."

Erik was in such a good mood that he didn't even bark at her for the late warning. He extracted the disc from his computer and stood. "Let's go. The Senate meeting on Earth is in full swing?"

"Affirmative. This way, Admiral." Dorothy fell into step with Beliv, back held straight in her new uniform, long blond hair brushed back carelessly as if she knew she was invincible.

"When are you going to tell me who this spy of ours is?" Beliv asked as they entered the chamber. All his underlings were there, awaiting his leadership.

"Oh, I couldn't tell you who Shinobi was even if I knew. He's been very secretive," Dorothy said slyly.

"Sit," Beliv said coldly, angry that she was denying him information. "Let's get this started." He seated himself at the head of the table and called the meeting into order. "Let's start with a repairs report."

The chief engineer nodded and looked down at his report. "Repairs to the hull of the _Gayla_ are ninety percent complete, and repairs to the inner decks and ship functions are at sixty percent, sir. Repairs have been completed on decks one through seven and on decks twenty-one through thirty, and deck thirty-six. The only hull breach remaining is on decks twelve through fifteen. The only remaining interior repair work in on decks eight through sixteen. We are a week and a half ahead of schedule and re-launch of the _Gayla _is expected before the month is out. As we all know, the computer system on the bridge was not damaged in the attack."

"Good work," Beliv grunted, pleased. His men had been working extremely fast. "What about the colonies?"

Representatives from the four colonies all expressed their prosperity under Beliv's firm hand. Riots had certainly become less frequent, they said, although Beliv knew they were lying. The economies of the colonies were no better than they had been before he'd come to band them together. His intention had never been that much, so it mattered little to him. He was only after Earth.

After many more grueling reports containing a lot of numbers and charts, Beliv held up his hand. "Gentlemen, I intended to keep this meeting brief, but I would ask one more thing from you before you leave today. Be a good audience as I spread the word I have received."

**~~@[~*,~]@~~**

The four television screens filled with static. Then, a very familiar face appeared. "Good evening, Senate and special guests," Beliv said. "I have a special gift for you all today, especially you there, Ms Darlian. I recently came across some information. Perhaps you would like me to share it with you . . ."

Relena leaned forward. "Oh, I would indeed."

Beliv's loathsome face disappeared and a photograph replaced it. Relena looked to Heero, startled, but he only shrugged. "Odd that he should have gotten hold of that. I just put it in the album a few days ago."

"Heero—"

He shushed her with a look. He scribbled a note on the back of a piece of paper and passed it to her. Exaggerating will only earn us trouble from him. "Have you come to announce a spy in our midst?"

"Doesn't this photo interest you all?" Beliv asked. "And I can tell you, that's not all. I also have copies of a few certificates. Particularly, of the girls' births and the marriage of Relena Darlian and Heero Yuy. What's strange, however, is that Yuy is never listed as the father of the children. Don't you find that strange?"

Relena smirked, feeling herself go into Darla Starhand Mode. "Do you think I've been cheating on my husband?"

"I never said it." The reply sounded childish. "But I bet that's what people will think when I go public with this."

Heero snorted. "Like they care. It's all tabloids anyway. You know how easy it would be to fake documents like that?"

The photo disappeared and Beliv's face sneered again. "So, are you denying that these are real, even though before you said you'd just handled that photograph?"

"I don't deny it," Heero said. "I'm saying that you can't make other people believe you if they don't want to. The point is negated."

"Is it really?" Beliv's face disappeared, and the monitors went blank.

The Head of Defense jumped out of his seat. "They hacked into our security systems!"

"And you didn't think they could? The state of our internal security is laughable. I've said that numerous times," Trowa said.

Une grimaced. "This is all coming on too fast. We weren't ready for this," she muttered.

Relena nodded in agreement. "We're falling apart already. I think now is time for drastic action."

"What are you thinking?"

". . . I'm still a princess, right?"

**~~@[~*,~]@~~**

"Soooooophie, I'm hooooome!" Duo shouted as he came through the door, and she immediately knew he was in a good mood.

"In here," she called, feeling the baby stir in her arms at the sound of his father's voice.

Duo stopped in the doorway. "Er, hello. Soph? Um—"

Sophie beckoned him to her. "Duo, this is my father, David."

Duo's eyes widened with pleasant surprise. "Welcome to our humble abode, Mr. Dukovne—"

"David's just fine, now. This has been quite a day. First I get a call from my daughter, whom I never expected to see again, and now I find out she's married to one of the most famous men alive! It's an honor, Mr. Maxwell!"

Duo chuckled and reached for his fussing son. "Just call me Duo. Y'know, from the way Sophie never talked I thought I'd never meet you."

Sophie tried to hide her embarrassment with a grin, but her father had never had trouble seeing through that. "Now why would you do that?"

The phone rang. "I'll get it," Sophie said hurriedly.

"Nonsense." Duo shot her a scheming glance and dived for it (Vincent thought it was marvelous fun). "Maxwell residence. Oh, hey Heero. _What?_"

Sophie's expression fell. She gave her husband a curious/panicked look.

Duo held the mouthpiece away. "Later. What? Yeah, Sophie's here. She's talkin' to her dad, hold on a minute, I'll pick it up in the other room . . ."

"What's this?" David asked his daughter.

"I don't know," was the response. "I think something big's happened."

David sighed. "It must be stressful living with a gundam pilot right now."

Sophie nodded. "But we get by."

In the other room, Duo was biting his lip. "Oh, man, that's bad. Is he going to be all right?"

"I don't know, Mariemaia got a message that he'd tried to kill himself again. I tell you one thing, though. Shukumei's got something to do with things. I get the sense things might split into parallel universes. But on to business: We discussed some things in the meeting that I don't feel comfortable talking to you about on an open line, frankly. Either I need to come visit you or you need to come visit me or we need to meet somewhere in the middle. What's it going to be?"

Duo made a face. "Why don't you and Relena and the kids come over and stay with us? We're a little crowded because Sophie's father is visiting, but there's a nice motel just a block away."

Heero nodded. "I figured you'd say something like that. I'll see you in three days."

"Yeah. Say hello to the gang for me." Duo put the receiver down. From the sound of Heero's voice, nothing was going well.

**~~@[~*,~]@~~**

_How did it come to this?_ Mariemaia leaned hard on the gas pedal, gunning the engine more than she should have, but she didn't care. The highway was almost empty, and there were no police hiding out to catch speeders because of the riot downtown. News had gotten around about Dennis. There were protesters, she knew. She saw signs that said "If he wants to die, don't stop him!" and it angered her.

_No one has the right to decide their own death. In times like this, people need to trust in Fate. No matter what happens, someone's going to be unhappy. That's life. It was meant to be, and you can't be unhappy all your life. No matter who you are, there will be times to celebrate. Dennis, I was going to throw you a party when you got out of the hospital. Please, Dennis, make it, for me, for us all._

Mariemaia slowed and pulled into the hospital parking lot. She leapt out of her car and ran in. Sally Po called her name. "I knew you'd be over here as soon as the message got through."

"Why'd he do it?" she asked, her voice full of confusion and grief.

Sally held her gently. "We may never know. Some kids are just very unhappy. I remember seeing the same signs in Wufei when he was his age . . . the loneliness, abandon and recklessness. He may just think he's no use to anyone the way he is."

Mariemaia looked to her shoes for answers. She had talked with him only yesterday and she had cheered him up considerably. She'd offered to see if Une would take him in as an apprentice strategist . . . and she knew he'd be useful. Marie didn't understand his motive. "Is . . . is he going to be all right?"

****

{DRUMROLL & TIMPANY (BIG EMOTIONAL PERCUSSIAN) PLEASE . . .}

Sally nodded. "He lost a lot of blood, but we were able to catch him in time. He'll be all right."

****

{GONG}

"Thank God," Mariemaia sighed, feeling as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Relief rushed through her like a calming drug, making her legs weak and rubbery.

Sally hugged her gently. "As soon as we get the blood back in him we'll have antidepressants in his system. I don't understand why, though. He seemed so happy after you came to visit."

Mariemaia shook her head. "People are hard to understand. I presume he's unconscious?"

"He probably won't be awake for several days."

Mariemaia nodded. "But at least he'll survive. Thank you, Sally." She left the doctor to her work and sat down on one of the couches in the waiting room. She pondered over Dennis's reasons. People trying to commit suicide generally had reasons in the material world for leaving. _Is he afraid for me?_ She thought.

_"I bargained with Death to save his life,"_ someone said. Mariemaia looked up to see her father, sitting opposite her.

She scowled. "Yeah, so? Are you trying to earn brownie points or something?"

His image shrugged. _"It's difficult to say these things, especially in my fear of falling even further out of your favor, but I tried to save his life because I know you care for him. He is valuable to you, and therefore valuable to me. Marie, I know you're angry with me, but despite everything I think the only reason I'm still around is to make sure you'll be okay."_

Mariemaia waved a hand, feeling extremely irritated that he would ruin her moment of relieved anxiety. "I don't want a fucking ghost following me around. I can save my own ass!" Without another word, she stomped out.

_Failed again,_ thought the ghost sadly.

YOU KNOW, I HAD A DAUGHTER ONCE, said Death ponderously. ADOPTED, BUT STILL A DAUGHTER. AND IT'S NOT LIKE I DON'T HAVE FEELINGS. I MISS HER.

Treize growled. "Well, at least you _knew_ her. When she was born I didn't even get to hold her. I didn't get to _hold_ her, my own daughter! Her mother let me name her, but that damn Dekim had big plans. I never saw her after the day she was born. I wasn't _allowed_, her own _father_ not _allowed_ seeing her. God, if I'd known what he was up to then I would've given everything I had to take her away."

THAT'S TERRIBLE, Death agreed sympathetically.

"And what's worse, her mother didn't even _want_ her! She wanted me to have her as my own, but Dekim wouldn't let me!"

JUST OUT OF CURIOSITY, asked Death meekly, as if afraid the ghost would lash out at him, WERE YOU AND HER MOTHER . . .?

Treize shook his head. "No, not at all. I was eighteen and a fool. She was a rich girl and easy. It was both of our faults, and I offered many times to adopt the baby, but she went and told that father of hers. You know, I'd hate to think of what her brother Trowa would have done to me had I not been a trained swordsman."

AN UNFORTUNATE CIRCUMSTANCE, said Death, feeling that he needed to contribute somewhat to the conversation.

"Maybe . . . maybe I shouldn't blame her for hating me. All that she had to suffer through in her young life I could have prevented but for my own cowardice. I would have been her guardian legally if Dekim hadn't stepped in, and I could have taken it to court. I probably would have won, but I feared the man," sighed the ghost, sinking into a state of self-pity. Death had seen this mood swing before, but he'd never talked this much about his daughter before.

DO YOU WANT ADVICE OR ARE YOU JUST TALKING TO HEAR YOUR OWN VOICE? asked Death.

"I guess I'm just talking to myself. Ah, well, another day I'll try again. She probably needs to blow off steam. Thank you, by the way. Thank you for sparing Dennis."

Death held out an hourglass, which was filled with blue mist, all the sand settled in the bottom. YOU HOLD ON TO THIS. I DON'T WANT TO BE ACCOUNTABLE.

The ghost nodded. "I think I know someone who'd like to have it, too."

**~~@[~*,~]@~~**

Mariemaia sat by his bedside, feeling horrible inside. Dennis was so thin still, as if his body refused to heal all the way. At this rate, it never would.

It had been a week since he'd found a knife sharp enough to cut himself with. It'd been a week since Marie gave as much of her blood as the nurses would let her to bring him back out of danger. "If you only knew, Dennis," she whispered. "If you only knew how much we all love you—"

"Don't be cruel," he said back, refusing to meet her gaze. "Why couldn't you just let me go?"

Mariemaia held his limp hand tight. "Because you mean too much to me."

"I'm weighing you down. If I was gone . . . you could have stopped wasting your time about me. You could be off trying to keep the world at peace, and instead you're here, making yourself weak. You missed an important Specials meeting, you know. I saw it on the news. I'm hurting your reputation as an officer."

Marie shook her head, sending slightly damp red-gold curls flying. "If it comes between my friends or my reputation, I'll be by your side night and day. I can't just abandon you. That's my choice."

Dennis was silent for a long time, staring at the wall opposite of where she was sitting.

Mariemaia continued, "One human being is all it takes to start or stop a war. There are billions of them out there. I'm a small, insignificant statistic unless I want to be someone big. I don't want to go out the way my father did. It was a stupid, pointless death. Because of just a few people, the human race is tainted. One drop of blood on a white napkin spoils the whole thing. It's the individuals that are so precious as to be worth saving, my friend. We are all so beautiful and diverse but as a whole we don't fit together the way a puzzle should."

"Have you talked to Une?" Dennis asked after digesting her little speech.

"I did. She says you're too young to employ into the military. I think she feels a little frightened that someone your age could predict Beliv's moves as closely as her chief strategists can. Une looks to me for advice, Dennis, and I'll listen to every word you say. She doesn't have to know you're involved—"

"Stop," Dennis said tiredly. "Leave the hopes and dreams for somewhere outside a hospital. Look what I got in the mail today."

Mariemaia took the letter, typed on fancy office paper and signed with the familiar signature of Prime Minister Terr. Dennis was to undergo trial for his assassination of Representative Shimra and his theft and misuse of government property. Her heart fell. "We have to get out of here," she said.

As Mariemaia left the hospital, feeling much lower although Dennis was making steady recovery, she was met by a crowd of people that stretched down the streets for blocks. A familiar redhead stuck his face out over the others. _"Ben_?"

Ben bowed with much motion of the hands and grinned. "Hey, sister. We heard about Dennis's trouble here, and we came to help."

Mariemaia crossed her arms over her chest. "Oh?"

Ben grinned again, his freckles standing out more. He'd gotten a bit of a tan during the conference in Africa. "Lots of pilots are opposed to the way the government's treating you as if you're a piece of property that they can twist into different images. Just say the word, girl, and you've got us at your fingertips."

"How so?" Mariemaia looked at him, puzzled.

Ben gestured to the crowed, which was watching her, anticipating. "Every which way, little sister."

Mariemaia surveyed the people. There were probably thousands of them, blocking traffic in peaceful assembly. More and more herself, she was becoming concerned about what actions the government was taking— and what actions they were able to take. Marie knew she'd be a strong leader, and probably much more capable of running a military organization, as it did nothing to mess with bureaucracy. "We'll see," she said. "We'll see how Dennis feels."

**************************************************************

_TA DAAA! *applause*. In a 9-8 vote, you guys wanted Dennis to live. I really didn't expect for it to be that close, but I've got stuff planned and I'm already working on Chapter 10, so you'll see it soon!_

Relena Peacecraft (AGAIN) returns to the ruins of the Sanc Kingdom to confront her family's heritage, this time with Milliardo at her side (notice how I've never called him Zechs? I'll explain that). The pain and purpose of the homecoming is ultimately lost on only Heero, who considers it a free vacation. Beliv's fleet patched up, the self-proclaimed Admiral leads a campaign into the Earth-allied colonies only to meet up with a willful Quatre. The pilot and the Manganacs have something up their sleeve - but what? Find out in the next installment of the never-ending fanfic: **AC 207: The Hands of Fate (Part X)**: "Power Conquest"


	10. Power Conquest

__

Wow, I really turned this one out fast. Oh well, on to the story.

AC 207: The Hands of Fate (Part X)

__

Power Conquest

Relena stood on the steps of her father's tomb next to her brother, head bowed. Milliardo squeezed her shoulders gently. "I know it's hard coming back here after what happened. If I'd only been twenty minutes sooner . . ."

Relena shook her head. "No, don't blame yourself. We all had a little to do with that bomb going off. Three good officers lost their lives trying to disarm it. What little remained from after the Sanc Kingdom originally fell was lost, but it was only a few photos and Father's portrait."

Heero came up sharply behind them and grabbed his wife around the middle, causing Milliardo to tense and almost hit the Japanese man before realizing who it was. "What are you doing sniffling around a depressing place like this on such a beautiful day?" Heero demanded, not deterred by his brother-in-law's overreaction.

Relena felt herself loosen up, not able to free herself. She squeezed Heero's bare arm playfully. His heart rate was up and his breathing was faster than normal. His cheeks seemed a lot rosier and he was smiling slightly. "There are a lot of memories here for me, you know."

The folds of Heero's tank played unevenly across her back, through her thin blouse. His mussed, soft hair brushed against her forehead as he forced her to turn 180 degrees. "Nature's found plenty of bounty from these ruins. Look at the kids, Relena. Look how much fun they're having. Akiko doesn't care it was once something else. She's made her own playground out of it."

"You've been playing with her?" No wonder he was so carefree. Of all the times to be concerned the most, Heero seemed very unburdened. He rarely displayed his affection so plainly. The breeze must have been getting to him.

"Yes." Heero rubbed his cheek against hers and rocked her with his hips. "This is a vacation, Saiai. Please try to relax."

"'Kids?' I resent that," Noin said, panting with exertion as the inexhaustible Akiko dragged her up the hill where her parents and uncle were. "Although I admit it would be nice to be that young again."

Milliardo chuckled and swept his niece into his arms and up onto his shoulder. She squealed in delight and clutched his head as if afraid she'd fall. It was much higher than she was used to.

"You know," Relena observed privately to Heero, "it seems like Akiko and Raina have become much less our kids than he children of all the gundam pilots."

"Do you have a problem with that?" he muttered back. "It gives us more alone-time."

"I wonder if Akiko feels any less close to us."

"No, she doesn't. Do you love Akiko any less now that Raina's come along? Exactly."

Heero did have a point, after all. Relena looked out over the ruins of the Sanc Kingdom. "I suppose we should start rebuilding soon."

"Leave the world for later. This is our time now." Heero, arm around his wife's waist, led her down to a nice shady spot he'd found earlier in his explorations. Vine-draped and surrounded by half-broken stained glass windows, it was a perfect place to share some afternoon romance.

"Where's the baby?" Heero glanced around. "I hear her crying."

"I let Phailin and Wufei watch her for the day. Let them be. She's a woman, she'll be fine." True to Relena's word, the infant's wails faded after a few seconds.

"How's she been doing?"

"Oh, she's fine. Everyone recovers Heero. We did." Relena studied a vine-flower with interests. It was a deep purple, with six petals.

". . . I guess." Heero traced the lines on the old stained-glass window with a finger, scraping dust off the lead.

Relena smiled and took his hand gently. "But we have two beautiful daughters now, and we can't undo what's been done. We have to make sacrifices."

"You sound like Shukumei."

**~~@[~*,~]@~~**

"Are we going to settle down here?" Noin asked Milliardo once Akiko ran off again.

The question came abruptly, and Milliardo looked at her, a little shocked. Relena was his one concern, although she would not be in one spot all the time. He knew Noin would follow him over mountains and under oceans if that where he was going, and her blatant wish to settle down recently had caught him by surprise.

Noin had given up on calling him Zechs long ago, after he made it clear he no longer felt like the boy she'd known. Zechs was in the past, a boy who'd made so many mistakes he must have had nine lives. Milliardo had reclaimed his name as heir to the Peacecraft thrown, a righteous name for a man with good intentions, but he'd gladly passed the responsibility off to his little sister; he'd rather be a knight than a king. For one thing, it left him free to defy his father's doctrines, which he had never agreed with. Zechs had been an excuse to commit sins against those teachings without spoiling his heritage, but once Treize betrayed his confidence he could no longer hide what he was, to others and to himself. His stature as a reclaimed Peacecraft stood permanent to both himself and Noin— as a reminder of the horrors they had both been through. Everything Noin had done in the past for Zechs had to be reformed for Milliardo.

She analyzed the expression on his face and continued. "We're getting too old for this, Milliardo. Relena has Heero for her safety, and it's not like she can't take care of herself. You've always said you might one day like to rebuild your old home. Why not now?" Noin slipped her arm around him possessively. "You know I'd do anything to be with you, but I do get tired of chasing around. You must know that."

Milliardo chewed his tongue and returned the embrace. He looked down at her and studied her features, hardened with years of battlefields and slipstreaming. He startled himself with the realization that she was right. They were not getting any younger, no matter how young he felt ducking bullets and gunning computer signals. "Is that what you really want?"

She nodded. "What we had on the colony— before you decided it was time to get back to Une about the colony situation— we were so close. I want that back."

Milliardo sighed. "It's true I miss those peaceful times, but there is a lot on the line that we have so much influence over that it seems unfair to shy away."

"And there lies the problem," Noin said resentfully.

"This isn't going to be a long war," Milliardo assured her. "The problem is, I'm not confident we're going to win."

**~~@[~*,~]@~~**

Two officers dispatched to take one, Dennis Ender into custody got a nasty surprise: Dennis had been signed out. Hospital records didn't indicate who it was, but Une had a suspicion. Mariemaia cared fatally for that boy, but no matter of her feelings he needed to be dealt justice. A jury could still find him Not Guilty in a trial, and there was a good chance they would have had he not run.

In fact, Mariemaia had hacked into the system and worked the records. In the middle of the night, they'd fled the town, the country, and the planet.

Trowa sat down hard in his chair when he heard. It took every ounce of self-control he had not to burst into tears of confusion. He would probably never see his niece again— unless she turned up dead.

**~~@[~*,~]@~~**

"I'm glad you decided to make the break for it, Marie," Ben told her as they stood looking out the window at the Stardust Hotel. It was the very hotel Heero and Relena had stayed that night of that epiphany they'd suffered (and celebrated). Mariemaia looked out across the starry fields, watching the cautious points in the distance that were her new fleet. She'd had no idea exactly what all those pilots were willing to aid her with. The power she'd struggled to attain on Earth— even when Une had been boosting her up with all the woman's strength— was so easily acquired in just a few short minutes of conversation with her adoptive-brother. Dennis was off on the main ship, the _Gradate_, resting and working on the training simulators, alternately. He seemed so much more cheerful now, even without the drugs the hospital had prescribed to him. His scarred, frail body seemed endlessly less likely to break under the strain that was permanently planted on it.

She smiled for what felt like the first time in months. Although they were now fugitives from the Earth Sphere New Alliance, her followers made a formidable fleet, plus Une had lost a good number of her Specials and Preventers. Already they numbered thousands, and more were requesting entrance by the hour.

Suddenly the image of Trowa's face floated across her mind. He was, as he did so often, scowling. The old giant lock of brown hair (instead of his new blonde) shadowed his face, and she found herself feeling regrets. She loved her uncle— she'd never once denied their relation— and knew she probably wouldn't see him again for years, if ever again. Once the war was over, she might still be processed for disloyalty.

She leaned against Ben, who held her protectively like he'd been her sibling for all her life. "Everything's changing so fast," she said quietly.

"I know," he replied. "But something you learn, little sister, is that everything does. You can't stop change, but sometimes you can control where it's going. I think, under the circumstances, this was the right one. Maybe it wasn't the most logical, but it was definitely the best."

"The simplest explanation is usually the correct one," Mariemaia replied. "Why is it that this one seems so complicated that I'm not sure I would do it again, given the choice?"

"We all doubt ourselves from time to time. Think of all the people who just put their fates in your hands. We respect your ability to lead better than we respect our own. That is something surrendered from few people. The army forces it out of people, but every single man and woman here is a volunteer. I promised them not a dime, but here they are, putting every ounce of faith into your words of judgement."

"No money?" Mariemaia looked up at him. "They don't expect to earn any money for this?"

"None," Ben confirmed. "That's how we know they're loyal, honey."

A messenger named Steph approached them casually, so that there would be no suspicion of their true identities. "'Morning! I just got a message from Cam. We got some photos of aunt Annie's kids back home. You should look at them, they're really cute!"

Marie raised her eyebrows. The new code they'd discussed had apparently gotten around. An unaffiliated, unidentified informant had passed some important information to them. She grinned. "I'll have to look at them right now! Come on, Ben."

They exited the populated area and boarded the unmarked shuttle that had once been a personal pleasure cruiser, given to the rebels as a goodwill gift from a retired once-White Fang member. Cam immediately greeted them, face flushed.

"What's gone up?" Marie asked him.

He glanced around excitedly. "We're going to have to postpone applicants to our little organization for a while, Commander."

**~~@[~*,~]@~~**

Back in Bangkok after Wufei had made sure the others were settling into their camp while the Peacecraft castle was being built, Phailin and Wufei walked down the sidewalk to the martial arts center where they both taught. Relena had planned to make the announcement about a reborn Sanc Kingdom later that month, but dates were so flimsy now that Heero— or Shukumei— was running things behind the curtain. Phailin couldn't tell whose idea was who's.

Wufei drifted over to the sidewalk market, and Phailin left him alone to browse. He inspected the farm-grown produce and herbs interestingly, remembering those that had been taught to him as a boy on L5. Wufei turned suddenly when he heard a sharp gasp and a cut-off yell, knocking over a vender's cart. A woman screamed and backed away.

Wufei leapt over a stand to get a clearer view, and saw his wife facedown on the ground as though she had been paralyzed. A man inspected her critically. His face was very familiar.

He was a Chang. He had lived in the same community as Wufei until Merian had died. "Chou Yun," Wufei gasped, distracting the ninja.

Chou Yun took one look at Wufei and forgot about his quarry. "If it isn't Wu Fei! Come for the same prize, old friend?"

_Prize?_ Wufei looked down to Phailin.

Chouyun dusted off his hands and chuckled. "I saw that poster on the Yensu grounds and couldn't resist. I've been hearing things about Chang-hunters, but she's the first that lets her victims live."

Thinking fast, Wufei asked, "What's she up to these days?"

Chouyun's eyes sparkled and he leaned in close. "Five hundred thousand. Can you believe it, for this slip of a woman! I expected more of a fight!"

Wufei knelt down and pretended to inspect Phailin. He'd had no idea of the bounty on her head. "Who's paying? I never did find that out."

"Yensu. They want her for breaking the law though, not hurting Changs. They said she disguised herself as a man and dishonored many fighters."

Before Chouyun could figure out what Wufei had done, he jabbed at Phailin's abdomen to unfreeze her and she leapt up.

With a cry, Chouyun looked wildly to Wufei. "What the hell did you do that for?"

"Thank you, Wu," Phailin said. "Someone wants my head on a platter, eh Chang?"

Chouyun drew a sword from his belt. "Traitor! How could you side with a woman who insults your own brothers?"

Wufei rolled his eyes and put his hand on the small of Phailin's back. "Let's get something straight, shall we? Anyone that touches my wife is as good as dead."

Chouyun's lip curled. "Always one to fall for a pretty face, you. Tell you what. Let's split the money seventy-thirty, huh? Sixty-forty?

Wufei retched. "Come on," he told Phailin, leading her away. The crowded Bangkok street engulfed the bounty hunter.

Phailin shook her head and rubbed her stomach. "Stupid of me, dropping my guard like that. I should know better."

"At least we know you've still got a price on your head," Wufei said grimly. "Looks like they aren't giving up easily."

Phailin laughed. "Men don't know when they've been beaten. Especially Changs!"

For once, Wufei didn't challenge her. After a moment of thought, he blurted, "Five hundred thousand! It was one offense!"

"Punishable by death. I've seen the posters. They only need forty percent of the corpse, face required."

Wufei shivered. "Doesn't it frighten you?"

"Nothing frightens me anymore except when you're in danger. Don't you know that?"

"You haven't been yourself lately," Wufei said.

"At least you were there to save my sorry ass," she replied easily, never embarrassed.

"Are you feeling all right?"

"I might have a touch of a cold or something. I'll be okay. Just go easy on me today."

"That's the first time you've ever said that."

Phailin stopped him, stepped in front of him and put her finger to his lips. "Something's changing inside me, Wufei. I— I've been soft, and I have yet to recover fully."

Wufei enclosed her soft hand in his gently. "I know. I'm here for you."

"And I'm grateful for that," she said quietly, liquid eyes staring at him and making Wufei feel things he'd felt about very few women.

Wufei kissed her forehead and pushed open the door to the Martial Arts Center. "We'll make it out okay, in the end."

They were late because of the confrontation with Chou Yun and the entire teenage class made catcalls to them. Phailin tutted. "They'll never be masters at this rate."

**~~@[~*,~]@~~**

Beliv crossed his hands behind his back and observed his officers. They stood in neat rows, backs parade-straight like good soldiers. Standing at his podium, he nodded. "You're dismissed to your machines!"

"Sir!" the collective acknowledgment echoed through the hangar even as the pilots scrambled to their mobile suits. An amphiter squad left first, followed by a drake squad and so on. Beliv watched behind the vacuum-sealed glass of the control room.

"Sir," Captain Ingriham's face appeared on the messaging monitor, "The bridge awaits you."

Beliv nodded. "I shall be right there."

The halls of the ship seemed eerily quiet because so many of the crewmembers were also pilots. Beliv, feeling a bit superstitious about the silent halls, felt a shiver run over his spine and hurried to a populated area of the battle cruiser. He stepped onto the bridge with a hurried pace, as if to escape the abandonment of the lower ship. Quickly, he regained his composure and assumed the Admiral's Chair. "Are we in formation, Captain?"

"Indeed, sir. The army of the Colony Alliance awaits your command."

Dorothy stalked up behind him and laid a hand on his decorated shoulder. She didn't say anything— wisely— but he could feel her trembling with excitement. Beliv settled back. "Begin the advancement."

Thousands of mobile suits rose out of the depths like giant demons of legend, scowling and growling and waving their weapons in amoral anticipation. Beliv loved the sight of excited soldiers. There was nothing more brutal and single-minded.

The colony came up swiftly to their bow, rising like an ill-formed moon in a sea of faint lights from its brothers. It was a smaller colony, a single factory where close-knit workers slaved away at incredible production rates. It was of minimal strategic importance, but it would be step in the intended direction. Beliv saw something in the viewscreen in the corner and pointed. "Captain, what was that streak?"

Ingraham made inquiries. "It was a supply shuttle heading for the colony, sir, carrying ores mined from the nearby asteroid."

"Did they see us?"

"Most likely. Would you like to give chase, sir?"

Dorothy clutched his shoulder in excitement, but Beliv shook his head. "Give the colonists time to feel panic. Send one squad ahead of them to jam communications."

"Yes, sir," Ingraham's tone implied he did not approve of letting the shuttle go.

_Let him be uncomfortable, _Beliv thought. _This is my ship and my crew. I'm the politician, not him._

Ingraham bit his tongue and turned back to the officers. _With all due respect, you should have stayed a senator, sir._

"Give the colonies time to feel fear," Beliv muttered. "Then, we'll have them."

**~~@[~*,~]@~~**

"Master Quatre!" Rashid waved urgently from the opposite end of the throng of people. They almost instinctively gave the man room to get through. He was dragging with him a young man, maybe eighteen at the oldest.

He was dressed in the uniform of a mine-shipper, and his sandy-blonde hair was ruffled and sweat-slick. Quatre seized his shoulders gently. "What's happened?"

Rashid opened his mouth to explain but the boy beat him to it. "A fleet of mobile suits is headed this way with two great big warships! I saw them with my own eyes! I flew past in my ship and barely escaped with my life, I swear."

People in the crowd started to mutter. Quatre quickly tried to calm them. _So Une was right. _"Good people of the colony, please try and keep order here. I will look into this directly. Please await my word."

"It's true," Rashid confirmed. "We're reading a very large invasion fleet from the direction of Cluster L-7. Beliv's on the move and it looks like he's aiming for this colony. We have to get out of here, Master Quatre."

Quatre held up a hand. "Let's not make hasty decisions. Do you know any details?"

"Just numbers. It's Beliv's fleet."

Quatre nodded. But then, he'd known that. He turned on his mic and stepped back into the crowd. "If I can have everyone— quickly and calmly— find shelter, a place that can be sealed air-tight. All intact buildings should have this function. The Colony Alliance fleet is headed this way. I'm heading out to initiate talks with the commander. My men have already contacted Earth and backup should arrive shortly. Thank you for listening."

The noise resumed, but it was much more quiet. Quatre could hear fear in their voices. They hurried away from the square as soon as he was out of sight.

Quatre took the messenger with him. "You'll be safest if you stay with me and the Maganacs," he said.

The shuttle ride was swift and smooth, until they were intercepted by the outer-ring of mobile suits.

Beliv then made visual contact. "If it isn't the _famous_ Quatre Winner," he said sarcastically. "What brings such a person to _my _colony?

"The colony L2X-39572 is not owned by Erik Beliv. It is, however, owned by the Hoshikuzu Mining Corps," Quatre said, undaunted. "What business do you have in this sector? You are, of course, aware you are at war with this territory."

"I've come to conquer, Captain. I've come to seek revenge until the man who stole my ship's computer gives it back."

Quatre felt his blood run cold. Beliv had known all along that Vincent had taken the ship's files. Furthermore, he seemed to have a pretty good bet they hadn't decoded them yet. "And what man would that be?"

"Don't play stupid, Winner. You know very well who I'm talking about— I saw him sitting at that meeting."

"There were hundreds of people at that meeting," Quatre continued to give misleading answers. It frustrated the ill-tempered warlord.

"Enough chit-chat," Beliv snarled. "I'm starting this battle whether you like it or not!"

Quatre cut the connection and looked at Rashid. "Well?"

Rashid nodded.

**~~@[~*,~]@~~**

Mariemaia leaned forward against the rail of the bridge and clenched it, her fingernails biting into their respective palms, as if self-torture would spur the ship's engines to move faster.

"I'm still uneasy about this anonymous informer. He seemed very cozy with this whole business," Ben complained, as anxious as she was. Long-range sensors indicated that there was indeed a battle going on, not far from the colony itself. No doubt shock waves were hitting the defenseless factory and wreaking havoc. "I don't think we can trust the guy— what'd he call himself?"

"'Shinobi,'" Marie responded. "It means 'spy' in Japanese— Heero taught me some when I helped him fine-tune Zero." I think he might have some connection with him— it sounded like he had an accent from that voice recording.

"You're the only one that understands it, then."

"Which is why I suspect it's someone I know. Only they would know I spoke it." Mariemaia looked back out the front viewport. The battle was drawing ever closer. "It's time, Ben, better get to your station."

After a long and somewhat resentful argument, Mariemaia had decided not to title herself any higher than her comrades. She had established a system of almost-anarchy— everybody was to do as they pleased as long as they didn't threaten the organization's well being. Marie was still considered their leader, of course, but she refused to give herself a title. They were to call her what she pleased. She disliked ranks, despite being in the military. Besides, this was barely military. There were plenty of civilian pilots in their ranks, and there seemed to be little to no resentment about that. She still insisted to take active action in battles.

Marie left the bridge crew to their own and ran to the hangar herself. Dennis grabbed her before she could get to her kirin, though. The boy, dressed in a maintenance crew outfit, led her aside. "I want to talk to you," he whispered, pulling her into a private-repairs director's bubble.

"Make it quick," she told him. "We're almost within battle range and I have to go fight."

Dennis averted his eyes in the dark room. The singular light shone out and bounced faintly over the metal in the gigantic repair-chamber and its mobile suit occupant. She couldn't quite distinguish the build of the suit. "Things are serious out there. I know you are aware of the danger we're putting ourselves in, and I'm sure you believe in why we're doing this— or else you would have never agreed to this whole affair. If all that history taught me anything, I learned that not only do we enhance ourselves by being with others we love and respect and put our faith in, but we also leave ourselves open to be wounded by those same people if they betray us. It happens to everyone, and it's so difficult to forgive. You've got friends out there, Marie. More than any of us realized until we got some donations and messages those days ago."

Dennis leaned against the panel in the room— seemingly nonchalantly— and the inactive panel sprang to life. Mariemaia winced back as light flooded both the control room and the repair bay. A flash of green and black caught the corner of her eye and she turned to see where the strange colors had come from. She gaped.

It was a gundam, but built much more in a modern mobile suit design except larger. The armor had an oily sheen to it, much like that of the newer mobile suits, which was considered even tougher than gundanium. It had a feminine shape to it, rather than the more masculine sculpt of Wing Zero and Heavyarms and the others, the main accountability for that falling in its much more slender design. In its hand was grasped a large circular boomerang, and great black feathered wings brushed across its back. It looked like a statue rather than a machine.

_"_Fortuna," Dennis said. We received it with a shipload of donated equipment, addressed for your use. We just finished building it, since it was in thousands of pieces. The engineers have been working feverishly to make it ready for the battle, and we just made it. We don't know who sent it, but we know it's superior to anything out there."

"_Fortuna_," Marie repeated, captivated. "She's beautiful."

"Hurry up and get aboard," Dennis advised. "I can hear the alert alarms."

**~~@[~*,~]@~~**

The force that Une had sent to back the colony up was skeleton, to be polite. Quatre reflected bitterly on how little Une had faith in her own hunches. He'd heard the news about the desertions, but that was no excuse for not backing up your own people. He could see the colonies demoralized already. He had to be careful with Sandrock, since his armor was as good as outmatched by the lighter suits. Luckily, his powerful sickles made up for his loss of protection.

Deathscythe stayed close by, since he knew they both were at a disadvantage. Duo had been grumbling for some time about how he'd been summoned away from his wife, son and newly-acquainted father-in-law until he was reminded that he wasn't the only one who felt alone. Duo had seemed least opposed to Quatre and Trowa's relationship, which made Quatre infuriated that he'd forget about how much it meant.

Quatre worked his frustrations out in battle, knowing it was the sad truth that it helped him. He clashed with a drake, dueling with two blades left him with a decided victory. The suit's midsection, through the cockpit, was the most vulnerable spot, and Quatre slashed across with his left sickle while the pilot tried to block the downward stroke from his right.

Absently, he wondered how the people of the colonies were doing.

"QUATRE!" Duo's high-pitched, excited voice came through his equipment rather strongly. "What the HELL is that?"

Quatre glanced at his instruments and just missed a flash. "I missed it! What _was_ it Duo?"

"I don't know!" The braided pilot sounded very frustrated. "It went by so fast I didn't even have a chance! That's no damn gundam I've ever seen!"

Quatre swivelled to try and catch a glance of the thing— whatever it was— and realized they were in the middle of a ring of fire. The atmosphere from the exploding drakes in their immediate neighborhood was quickly consumed, leaving a patch eery silence in the midst of the battlefield. He got a feeling deep in his spine, like he'd felt when he'd discovered Relena floating amongst the rubble of Beliv's fleet.

In the distance, he saw a flash of strangely feather-like material. "It's that demon again," he muttered.

"A demon? No offense, buddy, but only kids believe in that stuff!" Duo started back towards the fighting, which was slowly spreading into a wider and wider globe.

"It was there when we found Relena, too," Quatre persisted. "This is some kind of sign, Duo. Trust me."

Quatre, too headed back into the fray, looking to catch a glimpse of the creature that was so obviously invulnerable.

**~~@[~*,~]@~~**

Mariemaia found herself breathing hard with exhilaration. The controls of the masterpiece gundam responded to her lightest touch, almost as if it knew what she intended. The last few minutes had gone by in a flash of fire, leaving her disoriented but very much alive with excitement.

She'd gotten into the gundam apprehensively, not quite trusting that it wasn't a trap. A hand panel she'd never seen the likes of before identified her palm print when she'd touched it accidently and a message had sprung up on the screen. It was the voice of Shinobi, who had given her the message of Beliv's fleet only days before. It was in Japanese, like the others, with the same distinct accenting (much like her own).

_"Mariemaia Khushrenada, we are glad you've decided to accept the magnificent gift we've offered to you. As a token of our admiration for you, please use this gundam Fortuna to fight in the battles you will face in the future. She has donated her assistance willingly to your cause and will serve you loyally as long as you wish. Good day, and arigatou."_

It had been frightening to try and comprehend everything Shinobi had said, and frustrating that she could not figure out who he was.

The walls of the cockpit seemed to pulsate in the deep space. They were warm to the touch, like flesh, not stressed metal. The motors in the suit made noises to which it seemed as if the machine was breathing and alive. Well, its brain was certainly alive, for sure. Messages appeared freely inside her mind from the gundam, like thoughts and speculations. She experienced these to an extreme of what she'd always felt with Heavyarms.

Fortuna waited with eternal patience for Mariemaia to recover, as if she knew he pilot would not function well if she had to concentrate on getting her bearings. Mariemaia reclaimed her breath and grasped the controls again. Fortuna spread her wings and flapped them for show.

The speed, the precision was incredible. Mariemaia had no idea she'd been capable of this type of action, especially considering how inexperienced a pilot she was. She felt like she was the suit itself, and she suddenly understood exactly what Heero had meant by "being one with the gundams." The boomerang was on _her_ arm. The boosters were on _her_ back. _She_ was flapping those feathered wings.

Other pilots looked around in confusion as their targets disappeared in explosions right under their noses. Fortuna was not one to waste time trying to fight. It was kill and kill again.

In the distance, Treize watched, feeling pride fill his luminescent form. Like her father, Mariemaia was seeing the beauty of the battlefield, freed from politics, if that was what it took. She was turning out to be a great woman indeed.

**~~@[~*,~]@~~**

"Don't tell me you _knew_ that those renegades would come to help us!" Quatre gaped at Rashid, amazed at the man.

Rashid crossed his thick arms and nodded, the attention now of the entire Manganac Corps. "I was passed a piece of information that she and her band of rebels were moving into the area. That's why I said go-ahead to the battle instead of letting Beliv take over, per your instructions, Master Quatre."

"Who told you?" Although Quatre was a much smaller man, he demanded respect from even Rashid. Distantly, his brain registered how he had changed in almost twelve years.

"A man who identified himself only as Shinobi. She helped us win the battle, didn't she?"

Quatre rubbed his forehead. "That wasn't the point. Trowa's grief-stricken over her and here she is putting herself in danger!"

"She is eighteen, Quatre," Duo said. "She has the right to decide her own destiny. Come on, you did the exact same thing when you were even younger than she is. All of us did, and we turned out all right. You tell Trowa she'll be okay, especially if that angel of warriors is still out with those guys. Man, I've never seen so many individual kills!"

"Did we ever figure out who was piloting and what it was?" Quatre asked, successfully driven off the original subject.

Duo shook his head. "Reportedly it's a mobile suit, but my sensors weren't registering it as machinery. It wasn't a living organism, technically, but it was damn well close. It's like letting our gundams' brains grow their own metal bodies, the closest I can judge. That thing was incredibly fast."

"I get a weird feeling about it," Quatre said. "No living being could handle the stresses of that suit. There must be a special kind of equalizer built in. That's intriguing. I wonder who could build a suit like that . . ."

Duo smiled and put his arm around the blonde's shoulders. "I think we should discuss this at further length later," he said pointedly. There were nearly a hundred people in the room, all hanging on Quatre's every word.

Quatre laughed, good-natured, and teased his colleagues. The tension of the battle was over, and Beliv's fleet had been demoralized. The people outside and all over the colonies were celebrating. He might as well do the same. He'd fought bravely.

**~~@[~*,~]@~~**

Late in the night, Relena lay in her husband's arms in the new, elaborate bedroom that had finally been completed. The living quarters had been the first part reconstructed, as per her request. The mattress was so much more comfortable than the cramped cots they'd used while the stones were being re-mortared. The night was surprisingly chilly for June, and she snuggled close to Heero in an attempt to keep warm. He welcomed the friendliness, still quite carefree.

They didn't talk, having wasted breath on everything that needed to be said. They'd gotten word a few hours ago of Mariemaia's appearance and the victorious battle. Heero had seemed quite pleased with himself, but what of she could only speculate. Well, she had obvious reasons now, but before was the objective of the previous idea. Everything was going well, to put it simply. There were, of course, the minor details, but those were trifles.

Heero's breathing soon indicated he'd fallen asleep (arm still around her comfortingly). She carefully disentangled herself and put her nightgown back on. She couldn't sleep for one reason or another.

She wandered the stone hallway, walking the wine-red carpet in bare feet as she had as a very small child. Reproductions of paintings and art had already begun to spring from the walls and pedestals like midsummer flowers.

"Hello?" The deep, husky voice morphed into that of a young sweet boy as Milliardo looked around curiously. "Oh, it's you Relena! I thought it was another bomb-planter!"

Relena smiled at his half-asleep attempt at a joke. "You couldn't sleep either?"

Milliardo sighed. "There are so many memories here, in these rooms. How did you capture them so exactly when you were only a baby? It's like father's still alive in this place."

"I wanted it that way," was the reply. Relena hugged her brother. "If we feel as if he's still watching over us, I think we'll stay pointed towards our destination more often. You know how easily things get turned around."

A strand of long blonde hair fell across her face as it slipped off her brother's shoulder. "Father's with us wherever we go. We carry him inside us."

Relena squeezed his hand. "I know, but I forget unless I'm reminded now and again."

**~~@[~*,~]@~~**

_I wish I could forget that he promised he'd be watching_, thought Mariemaia as she lay on her bed onboard the _Gradate_. _I wish he'd just go away_.

She couldn't sleep; not so soon after the battle had sent blood rushing through her veins. Finally, she got up, got dressed and went down to the bar. Some of them were still celebrating their victory, with the express intention of fuzzing things, but she needed a drink to clear her head. She knew her father had been at the battlefield, watching anxiously. She had sensed his presence quite clearly, he conveying a sense of pride. _What the hell does he want me to understand?_ she asked silently.

"Hey, little-miss commander." Cam shot her a panorama grin and sat down beside her. Come down to let loose a little?"

She sighed. "It's not really your business."

Cam whistled and slapped the counter. "Barkeep, how about something for the lady?" He already had a beer.

Mariemaia took a lemonade-and-rum, letting the sour taste override her sour thoughts. Little by little, Cam succeeded in prying her lips open for a conversation. The more they talked, the more she actually found herself wanting to talk. Cam seemed a little childish at first glance, but he seemed actually to be a pretty sensitive guy. Marie had never really bothered with many friends in school, though she'd had a few. She'd been one of the quiet, smart ones.

"I'd always been kind of a loner, and I liked it just fine," she admitted. "I could never kick the habit of being highly selective, I guess. What always bothered me was the prejudice people had. A lot of people avoided me because they were afraid I'd kill them or something. They didn't realize I wasn't out for my father's vengeance any more."

Cam took a swallow. "That's too bad, although I've got to say you _do_ have a lot of similarities with him."

The comment stung. Mariemaia had already told him once to shut up about her father, but that had somehow only felt worse. She winced and let it go. She took a drink herself and decided that it wouldn't hurt to ask him. "What do you mean?"

He shrugged. "Well, you're both documented as extremely gifted pilots, and had major connections all your life. You both grew up surrounded by politics and function just as well as aristocrats. You're both leaders equally admired and despised. I admit that with you it's a little unfair to judge you by your father, but you _do_ remind many people of him."

Mariemaia scowled, although she knew it was the truth.

Cam continued, "And from what I see, you have similar political views, too."

She blanched. "_Excuse me?_ Similar political views? My father was a tyrant! He was an evil, heartless man with ambition to destroy human morality!"

"Really?" Cam gave her a somewhat disbelieving look. "Did you ever actually meet him?"

Relena's breath stuck in her chest. He _did_ have a point, although she didn't necessarily agree. "No," she admitted. "But the material my grandfather glorifying him was false. I blame him for actions that caused the torture I went through as a child. He ruined my chance for a normal life."

Cam set down his empty bottle and looked into her eyes. His hazel ones startled her, and she started to have doubts. They spoke of something painful. 

"I sympathize with you," he said quietly, "but although I don't particularly agree with all the things your father did to manipulate the system, I admire him. I would have never had the courage to do some of the things that I know were necessary in the situation. I would have taken the coward's way out— the route that almost everybody takes at some point in their lives. You're like your father because you stand by your decisions, no matter whom else sees them as wrong. Treize Khushrenada— yes, I'm going to say his name— was a brilliant and largely misunderstood man. I intend to make sure his own daughter knows who he really was."

***************************************************

_As the tension between Beliv, The Earth Sphere New United Nations and Mariemaia's organization continues to heat up, another can of gasoline is thrown on the fire: the Sanc Kingdom is back! What does this mean for its old friends? What kind of new enemies will it bring? Wufei is put to call by Trowa, who has a very special assignment. With a price on Phailin's head uncomfortably rising with each passing day, Wufei has a difficult decision to make. Watch out for _**AC 207: The Hands of Fate**: "The Mask of Flames."


	11. 

Ngh __

Ngh. I think I'm finally nearing the end of AC 207. I'm planning this to be a trilogy. I actually considered contacting Sotsu and asking if they'd publish and endorse this monster, though I know it'll never happen. Hey, a girl can dream. Anyway, I'm working on an original Sci-fi novel, but it's going slow and it'll probably be years until it's even sent in to the publishers, let alone published (if at all.) I'm kinda running in circles, huh?

**_AC 207: The Hands of Fate_**

**The Mask of Flames**

The castle was finally completed. There was much to be done with the landscaping and decorating, but it felt like home. Relena thought it strange to say that, since she hadn't lived in the Sanc Kingdom for years, but she had to admit it felt _right_. Milliardo's positive reactions, too, helped her a great deal.

Heero walked through the gardens with Akiko, carrying her on his shoulders as she chattered randomly. It was great to see him relaxing. She'd almost forgotten what it was like to see him smile.

"Ms. Relena? I thought you might find this of interest." Noin held out her pocket-television and Relena saw that photo that Beliv had come into possession of on the screen. The words were in a different language, but she knew what the people were saying. _Oh well,_ she thought, _I guess Heero is going to have to stand it._ "At least we won't have to worry about it," she told Noin.

Noin looked startled.

"People will make of it what they will. We might be asked why we chose to keep it a secret, but I think Heero exaggerates public reaction most of the time. Besides," she added on a lighter note, "maybe now I can talk him into having a real _wedding_."

Noin chuckled and tucked the handset away. "You were always one to take advantage of a situation. When were you planning to make your appearance, by the way?"

"How soon can you get a press crew out here?"

**~~@[~*,~]@~~**

"You could have given me a little more _warning_," Heero complained, wrapping the towel firmly around his waist. Apparently Akiko had wanted to go swimming and Relena was greeting the first couple of cameras when he'd come out from getting changed.

Akiko, unselfconscious as little kids always are, was confused as to why her father had canceled their plans all of a sudden.

"That was the first time I've seen you turn red in a while," Relena laughed. "Did we only bring the Speedo?

"My shorts got ripped," he said sulkily. "And I don't appreciate being referred to as your 'plaything.'"

"That was the stupid cameraman, not me," Relena protested. It would suffice to say that the first minutes of the press conference were not going according to plan. "Besides, you look good in that one. It's green."

Heero started to turn red again. "That isn't nice," he said quietly, embarrassed.

"It's a compliment. Appropriate, maybe not. Nice, yes."

"I give up," he groaned, cinching the towel tighter around his waist. "You . . . just go talk to the press people, okay?"

Relena smiled. "I guess I shouldn't keep them waiting too long." She left, to her husband's relief.

"What's to embarrassing about a bathing suit?" Akiko asked.

Heero paused awkwardly. ". . . I'll tell you when you're older."

**~~@[~*,~]@~~**

"Hey Marie?"

"Hm?" Mariemaia turned away from staring (literally) into space. She'd been very quiet today, and Ben was having a hard time figuring out why. She couldn't still be mad— could she? "Cam came to me last night and admitted he'd been a little upset. What the hell did you yell at him about?"

She scowled, and Ben knew he'd hit the target full on. "What business of yours? He pried into a sensitive subject and got what he asked for. No one has the right to tell me who my father was as a man and a politician. He's dead. It doesn't matter any more."

Ben shook his head. "No offense, little sister, but the name Treize Khushrenada is still synonymous with yours. It's hard to forget what you did in his name, even if it wasn't truly your fault."

Mariemaia rose indignantly. She drew breath to snap at him—

"_And,_ you said yourself his ghost is still trying to be with you. Forget the trauma he caused in your life— blame your grandfather for that. You never even _met_ him, Marie. I think Cam may know something you don't."

"Now don't you start," she growled, red hair flaming on the dark bridge. The ship was going through its night cycle and no one was there but the two of them. "Don't I have the right to have my own opinion of him?"

"Is it truly your opinion if you get it from misinformation and personal pain not totally connected?" Ben decided he couldn't argue with her. It was still a hot topic and she wouldn't listen to him when she was obviously so immersed in her own view. It was like trying to argue with a Mormon [See footnote]. He stalked out, about ready to tell Cam to keep talking to her about Treize.

**~~@[~*,~]@~~**

Trowa paced back and forth in his study in London, as he had been for hours. Quatre had just sent back the battle reports, on special commission from Lady Une. Although he'd been relieved to see that the resistance group had suffered minimal losses, he was still concerned about Marie.

The minute he'd turned 18 he'd tried to adopt her. He'd spent the time before that carefully considering what was to become of the poor child, and he decided she'd need to be raised by another who'd been close to the war but not of much relation to her father. It was obvious that she had begun to hate him, as a cause for the pain she was feeling inside, and he knew she'd need to escape that pain into the arms of someone she cared for. For years afterward, he'd shrugged off the fact that he wasn't her blood-relative. She was twelve before she even started to doubt their genetic relationship, and he'd grudgingly admitted the whole story. She knew more about him than even Quatre did.

He was immensely worried about her. The little girl that had become in all practically his _daughter_ was out there risking her life. She had good intentions, fighting with her comrades while still shouldering the responsibility for every single one of them. He'd heard reports that her rebels numbered in the hundred thousands, although he knew the actual numbers were more around fifty thousand. It was incredible how in just a month the ranks of supporters had swelled. If Quatre had been worried about civil war on Earth, he didn't have to any more. Everybody who'd wanted to rebel against authority could now share the feeling with an organization. Many of them had signed up; still others had sent money and supplies. It was obvious few people opposed her under her father's name any more. He just hoped she realized that.

Everyone was spreading out again. Quatre was second-in-command to Une (now a full-fledged General). Marie had her own small roaming nation. Heero was busy raising kids and aiding Relena with the new Sanc Kingdom (although he really had no idea what the purpose was in that). Duo was working with Vincent, Sophie and his father-in-law to decode Beliv's records at top speed. Wufei had tried to return to normal work, since it was obvious that the gundams were just going to be used as showstoppers now and then. Trowa felt very utterly alone in the large empty house. He'd warned Quatre of this, and the blonde seemed resigned to the fact that what they had was merely a fling between close friends. Not feeling guilty, he snatched his coat and started off into the rain.

The pub was one he visited now and then, it being fairly clean and respectable while at the same time serving good drink and good company. Numerous friends had recommended it to him, and he'd grown fond of the establishment. (He'd at one point discovered that the import Thai beer they served was the same brand he'd had at Wufei's bachelor party.)

Wufei . . . he hated to disturb the poor man, and he knew that the oriental couple was trying hard to make ends meet and start a family, but he was the only logical choice, under the circumstances. He'd call in the morning.

Trowa shook rainwater off his coat and seated himself at the bar, indicating to the bartender that he wanted a drink. He sat, sipping the drink at regular intervals and observing the activities of the good-sized pub. Two people were playing pool. There was a loud and raucous group of young adults in the corner. Soon, his own problems began to blend into the sea of cheesy wall decorations and faded against the ones he heard about from others.

"Barton, right? The bartender leaned forward. "Haven't seen you here since the Gundam Games got started."

Trowa bobbed his head. "We've fallen on hard times, Ian."

"What're you in for tonight?"

"My family's falling apart."

Ian wiped the counter with his towel. "As if we hadn't all heard about your niece's rebellion, eh? If you want some advice, don't give a thought to it. That Mariemaia's got a good head on her shoulders. To tell the truth, I almost signed onto the ranks but for this pub here. She's got most of the people here rooting for her, I know. 'S good to be united once and a while, even if it is _technically _illegal."

Trowa smiled. "Thanks. I'll keep that in mind."

She walked into the bar looking over her shoulder nervously, as if being followed. She eyed the patrons all around, then took the seat next to Trowa. She signaled to Ian that she didn't want anything to the drink and the small-eyed man winked at Trowa. The woman turned to him, ice-blue eyes making him uncomfortable.

She noticed his discomfort and decided to see is she wasn't wasting her time. "Tell me, have you done bodyguard work before?"

Trowa shook his head (although if she was being threatened it was his duty as a police officer to investigate).

"Would you like to?"

"Who do you need protection from?" he countered.

"Ah," she said. "You don't get to know that until you have the job."

"I'm not going to go against the law," he said firmly.

She laughed. "Oh no, it's them who are breaking the law. I just have to get away from them somehow. You game?"

She had a distinct American accent and very white teeth, he noticed.

"How long are you going to need me?" Although he did long to get away, Trowa had an obligation to the London Police Department. He couldn't run off with the woman for more than a few days.

"Just as long as these guys decide I'm a target."

"Sign me up," he sighed, only halfway realizing that she hadn't promised him a determinate length of time. People do crazy things under stress.

She breathed out as if she'd been holding her breath since she'd came in. "Thank you, uh—"

"Call me Trowa."

"— Trowa. I may very well owe you my life. There are two men following me, as they have been for days. They were across the street when I came in here. They're wearing sunglasses and dark suits, and if I'm right they'll be in here in a minute. I don't know if they have guns, but they have hidden weapons."

"What do they want from you?"

"I am the last surviving member of an insurance company that ran into Mafia trouble in the former Canada. They followed me here, to the British Isles, and they're trying to kill me."

"Sounds like trouble." Trowa deliberately made an understatement of the situation. He'd run into this kind of thing before. "This will take some work to clean up, but we have to get out of here first. There's an exit in the back."

He downed the rest of his beer and stood, looking around.

"Leaving already, Trowa?" Ian finished polishing a shot glass and accepted the three bills Trowa rolled out for him. "Behave yourself, y'hear?" He winked at the woman, who wasn't paying attention.

The door flew open with a bang and Trowa instinctively yanked his protectee behind the corner of the bar. Ian swore loudly and several people screamed. One of the men whom she had described was searching the room with the barrel of an assault rifle. There was another behind him. Suit No. 1 (as Trowa deemed him mentally) fired a warning shot into the liquor shelf and a glass bottle shattered all over the counter. Trowa grimaced and pulled his gun out of his waist holster, took aim, and fired.

Ian jostled him in an attempt to escape from behind the bar and he missed low. The bullet shot straight into the spreading pool of alcohol and ignited it. He saw Suit No. 2 curse as the blue flame caught onto other things in the bar.

"Come on!" Trowa yelled and grabbed the woman's arm. His fingers searched behind him for the knob to the back door and found it. He gave it a sharp twist. The hinges squeaked rustily and the door tumbled open, dumping them into a back alley. He could hear people screaming and yelling trying to follow but getting caught in the Mafia gunfire.

Trowa clenched his teeth and led her through a maze of alleys only a policeman would know. He rounded a corner and he heard the Suits panting behind them. He turned, fired a round into No.1's shoulder and pressed onward.

They looped back around to the front street and watched the fire department try to put out the blaze, which had engulfed the building. "I think we lost them," he said.

"For now, at least," she panted, leaning hard on his shoulder. It was obvious she was not used to exercise.

"I have a spare room tonight," Trowa said. It was more of a command than a statement, and she immediately noticed the difference. Trowa took her back to his house, which was dark, and showed her Mariemaia's former bedroom. He refrained from looking at her things, as the memories were still painful. "By the way, if it wouldn't be too much trouble, could I have your name?"

"Adrianne Shandler," she said. "But don't call me that when they could be around."

"That goes without saying." He fell asleep with the realization that a good beer had been wasted that evening.

**~~@[~*,~]@~~**

Wufei walked into his apartment to find that his phone was ringing. He answered quickly, expecting it to be Phailin— since she'd said she'd call him if she was delayed— but picked it up and was extremely disappointed.

Trowa looked more like Heero had during the Gundam Games. His thin face was haggard. "Wufei, I'm glad I caught you. I need to speak with you."

"What is it?" Wufei felt exasperated. Just when he'd finally settled back into the normal rhythm, someone had to come along and mess it up. "Can you make it quick?"

"I need to ask a favor of you."

"What?" 

"I need someone to look after Mariemaia. I know it sounds stupid, but I get the sense that someone she knows needs to be there, and I would but I _can't_."

Wufei clenched his hands on the counter. It wasn't that he was angry— he was in a particularly complacent mood today— he just thought his friend was acting a little out of line. "Trowa, I'm probably the least eligible person for the job and you know it."

"You're the _only_ person that would possibly be willing and able to do it, Wufei. I'm sorry to push, but I just have a hunch—"

"Stop," Wufei said, holding up his hands. "I don't want to hear about hunches and worries. Look, I'll talk to Phailin . . . and I think about it. Don't be surprised if I say no. I can't just abandon my life here again."

Trowa refrained from mentioning that war _always_ screws up people's lives. "I have another matter of business that I have to attend to right now. If you need to contact me I'll be at my office." Without even bothering with a good-bye he hung up. Wufei knew instantly that his response hadn't been the one Trowa had wanted.

A minute later, Phailin walked in the door. She took one look at Wufei and said, "Whatever mission you're on now, you're going and that's final," before he could even open his mouth.

**~~@[~*,~]@~~**

The castle was every bit a work of art as it was a treasure. Of course, they'd had plenty of money to build and furnish it, and the record cabinets were still young. The Sanc Kingdom, for being so peaceful, had a violent history. Nobody attracts anger more than those that preach, and those that preach for peace are worse. The truth always has a tendency to hide behind a mask of flames, plainly because paper has a tendency to burn well. Just days after Relena Peacecraft (reinstated) announced the birth of her mother country, everything was up in smoke.

They managed to save half the house from being gutted by the fire. Although they'd all inhaled a little smoke, everyone was accounted for but Heero. Milliardo had to hold his sister physically— and even then she was putting up a terrific fight— to keep her from chasing after Heero into the burning castle. A fireman emerged, Heero's arm draped over his shoulder. The two men were supporting between them a computer body, Heero's most valuable possession these days. "You idiot," Relena sobbed even as she cradled his soot-covered head in his lap. "How could you risk your life for a _computer?_"

Heero protested to the point of a coughing fit when the firefighters tried to load the computer onto their truck to be put in a safe-house in the nearest town while the remains of the building were sorted through for other intact records. They shrugged at each other curiously but set the computer down beside him.

Akiko was in tears. "Dad? Are you gonna die?"

Heero smiled and stroked his daughter's face with a black hand. Residue streaked off onto her cheek and forehead. "I'll be okay in a few minutes, honey. I just breathed in a little too much smoke."

"What the hell is in that computer that made you risk your life?" Relena demanded.

"I can't tell you at the moment." Heero looked up at her, his white eyes the only part she could see in the middle of the night. "I don't think it's totally safe here."

"You think this was arson?" The thought had occurred to her too, but she'd shoved it off as unfeasible.

"I've no doubt in my mind," he replied, coughing again.

Milliardo knelt beside them and asked Heero if he'd gotten burned. He received a definite no and breathed a sigh of relief. "That was too close. You've got to be more careful than that, Yuy, or I might take Relena and kids away from such a dangerous individual."

Heero snorted, causing him to cough more. "Like I'd let you. No, if I had a choice of Relena or the computer I would have gotten her. But I'm okay so there's no use asking 'what if' right now."

It was hard to argue with him on that point. Relena looked over across the lake and saw bright streaks where the sun would soon be emerging. A new day was coming up fast, and there was nothing she could do but press on with her plans.

**~~@[~*,~]@~~**

The chip in Vincent's arm sparked when Duo dropped the wire from the computer on to it accidentally.

"Yeeow!" the boy yelped, shaking the artificial limb violently. It was obvious the pain receptors were still working just fine.

Little Vincent in his bassinet let out a cry of protest, too. The two of them had known each other less than a week and already it seemed they shared some kind of psychic connection.

"Damn!" Duo swore in frustration. "I don't see why we can't store all that stuff on just one computer!"

"Because the only computer big enough to handle this much information and the decoding software _and_ the decoded files is on Mariemaia's new battle cruiser." Vincent replied, still shaking his hand as if it was on fire. "And God knows she won't let us use it."

Duo unplugged the computer he was currently on— one of nearly fifty hard drives required to store all Vincent's downloaded junk— and tried to wire it to the chip. This time, it didn't grow red-hot from a faulty wiring job. The files were, of course, impossible for the computer's software to decode. Luckily, Vincent and Tovah both worked extensively with computers.

Vincent plugged the monitor into the first computer and opened a random file. "Crew lists, by the format," he said instantly, staring at the incomprehensible string of symbols. "But . . . Une was supposed to have another list we could use to decode this puppy. I think we could use this as our primer."

"Our what-what?" Duo asked, rubbing his head. He had _no_ idea why Une had asked him to help.

"Primer: the key to solving the code," Vincent said, rolling his eyes a little.

"Ah." Duo grinned, trying to hide his embarrassment. "Yes, good idea."

**~~@[~*,~]@~~**

"Mariemaia, I think it's time we pulled back." Dennis said over the radio. "God, you know you're moving so fast our sensors can't see you?"

Marie shook her head. "We have to drive Beliv all the way out or he'll just stop where he is and find another convenient target. Trust me. The man doesn't know the concept of withdrawal. I've been around him just long enough to know that."

They'd been chasing the United Colony's troops for nearly a week, pushing them further and further out of Earth-and-colony territory like guard dogs. Of course, Earth-and-colony forces were also confronting Mariemaia's troops, faced with charges of desertion, robbery and fleeing justice, but the efforts had been minimal at best. Une knew how many of her best troops had abandoned and joined Mariemaia's army. She wasn't about to take foolish chances. Beliv saw her caution and was starting to become weary of the assault. Yesterday they had abandoned a sector they had held quite securely and had ran flat-footed towards home.

All of a sudden, out a nowhere a troop of Ampheter mobile suits swept forward. With an outcry of surprise, Marie ignited her beam saber. Something was wrong. They weren't fighting back. She scanned the cockpits, and they had pilots.

Two squadrons, knowing something odd was going on, came up behind. "What is it?"

"Commander of the Ampheter squadron, please state your business," Mariemaia demanded, but she received silence.

One suit was turned slightly to the side, and Marie thought she saw something glow on its back. The ampheters were carrying— "Bombs! Kamakaze! Everybody GET OUT OF HERE!" she screamed, boosting her powerful engines to maximum and shooting away. Her fighters scattered, but the warning had come too late. Mobile suit engines were no match for Fortuna's.

She watched bound in horror as the machinery and pilots disappeared in a flash of fire.

**~~@[~*,~]@~~**

"_Now_ can you tell us what's in that computer?" Akiko and Relena asked at the same time.

Heero coughed again, but nothing black came up this time. His voice sounded almost normal, and the blisters on his hands were finally going away. "I suppose, but you two have got to promise not to tell Milliardo or Noin, okay?"

Relena looked at him. "Why? Can't I trust my own brother?"

". . . It's not his business, is all."

The reply left Relena resigned to the fact that she'd used the line on Heero a hundred times, if not more. He would eventually give up under those terms, so she might as well let him have his way this time.

"Got that, Kik?"

"Yeah dad."

Heero nodded and hit the power switch. "It's got my personal password on it anyway, but I can never be too careful."

"I know what it is," Akiko declared a moment later.

"I've never told anyone. How could you know?" Heero asked her, thinking she was playing with him.

She shrugged her small shoulders. "I just watched you type it in."

Heero smiled inwardly, wondering if she wasn't bluffing. With his genes . . . she could very well have seen his fingers move that quickly over the keyboard. "Anyway," he said, diverting attention back to the computer, "Remember that card you gave me about my past all those years ago, Relena? It had six files on it, all encoded differently. I've been working on it for years, but I was finally able to pry the other personal encryptions from Duo, Wufei, Quatre and Trowa. That's what four of the other files are. However, I can't figure out what this last one is about. It's not the same as the other five, because it's not personal data on the same kind of formatting structure as the others. While you could have probably found data on everyone but me somewhere else, this last piece I think is totally top-secret."

"What do you think it could be?" Relena leaned over his shoulder to study the pages of incomprehensible text on the screen.

"I'm guessing it's either information on the gundams or the gundam scientists or possibly even the genetic modifications they made to me."

"But there's no way to tell what it really is, right?" Akiko asked. "That would bug me."

"It is bothersome," Heero admitted, "and seeing how valuable some of this information has the potential to be, I don't want anything to happen to these files.

"What happened to the original diskette I gave to you?"

"It's a good thing I downloaded those files to my computer before we left the hotel, in that regard. The diskette was smashed in my suitcase, totally unusable. I burned it just in case, but there was no way you could have extracted that information from it after it was deformed like that." Heero rubbed his eyes, which still burned from the smoke of the fire. "That's what's on this computer, and I really don't feel like staying up much later to work on it. I think we should all go to bed."

Relena nodded, holding back a yawn. "Yes, it's getting very late, Akiko."

The computer honked unpleasantly, and Heero turned back to it, eyes wide. He cursed under his breath and hit a few keys. "Someone's trying to break through my firewall! What the— I can't track the signal, either!"

"If you can't track it you can't block it or uncover it!" Akiko said, biting her lip. "I bet they're after those files, too."

Heero tried several other things, and then a bar appeared on the screen. Time remaining until his system was hacked in to, 30 seconds and counting. Heero cursed and dove for the power button. He then unplugged the cable from the computer, just in case. "That was too close," he said. "See how bad people want these files? That's not the first attempted break-in."

"Who would want files on your personal computer?" Relena asked, feeling a little paranoid.

Heero shrugged. "The press, conspiracy nuts, people planning to get revenge . . . any number of them. You wanted to know why I rescued this machine, didn't you?"

"Point," she conceded. "If I were you I'd leave yourself disconnected."

"I was planning on it." Heero drew a lock around the computer body and shoved the key in his pocket. "But sometime I need to find out how that arsonist got past our gate."

"That's where I was going."

**~~@[~*,~]@~~**

Shinobi shrugged his defeat off and turned his computer to another task. The fire had been a success, in any case. He brushed a strand of hair out of his face, wondering why the hell he was going along with everything when it was his conscience on the line.

He trusted the man, of course, but the task that lay before him was a weight he felt he almost couldn't bear. It took a strong faith and a very tough mind to endure the torture of cross and double-cross, and it took time. He wondered how long it would be before he got caught.

Above his desk was tacked a quote: "The truth is often a terrible weapon of aggression. It is possible to lie, even to murder, for the truth"— Alfred Alder. It was true that a war was waged with many soldiers and a few politicians. Wars were just as political as bloody, as well as politically bloody. There, he was a standing observer and a messenger with no moral and political stature who had dived into his state of ruthlessness to protect those he loved most dearly. That bit of information had shaken and confused him for a while until he had realized he was the last to figure it out.

He had seen so much in his short time, and it had meant relatively so little. Shinobi knew that he was doing it because he was being selfish and wanted to make himself feel worthy to live, but those actions also reflected off him onto others. He knew the effect his new behavior was having and he wasn't particularly dissatisfied.

Personal isn't the same as important. It was something he'd heard a million times, but he begged to differ. Without personal meaning, life had nowhere to go.

**~~@[~*,~]@~~**

"Wufei, I'm not going to argue! Trowa needs your help." Phailin braced her arms against his shoulders, jaw squared.

Wufei cast his eyes toward the floor, a sudden body of doubt and misdirection. "Mariemaia matters much less to me than you do."

"I can take care of myself Wufei."

"Stop saying my name like that. You know you can't make me go away. I'll sleep by the door if I have to. You know that."

Phailin remembered all too vividly their nights in the swamps of former Vietnam, pursued by guerillas, when he stood over her sleeping form for three nights with no rest until the men pursuing had either died or fled. It wasn't as if she'd been injured, or was sick or incapable of fighting, he'd just insisted that she get her rest. "There's no reason to be so selfish, Chang."

He winced as she reminded him of his clan habits. His hands crept up and caressed hers gently, and he looked at her. Few times had he looked at her with such conviction, such fear. Suddenly she folded and fell against him, knowing in all her heart that away was the last place she wanted him to go.

"Not now," he whispered, wrapping his arms around her and cradling her head against his shoulder. "Please don't make me leave you now."

"I don't have a choice," she told him, knowing it was true. "We have eternity together, but this war is _now._ I want so much to be selfish, but I can't for the life of me. Please, Wufei, don't make this harder than it already is."

He rocked her silently, deep in contemplation. When he spoke, it vibrated through his chest and hers, as if someone divine was speaking through him. "You will go to your village, then."

"I told you I can take care of myself." Despite her better judgement, she had to deny her weaknesses.

"I am not going to argue with you. If you are so determined that I should go to Mariemaia you must assure me I will not need to worry for your safety. You won one confrontation. Grant me a peace, please, my love."

There were so many things to leave behind— but both good things and bad ones. She'd spent only a few days in her village for the years she'd been out on her quest for martial justice. Perhaps . . . perhaps it would be advisable to relax back home for a while. ". . . I really don't have a choice, do I?"

**************************************

[Footnote: If you're Mormon, I'm sorry if you took offense at that. It wasn't meant as an insult. It's just that all the Mormons I know are hardheaded, love to argue at every opportunity about their beliefs, and yet are kind of unhappy with the way they live their lives. Of course, that's just my experience. PLEASE NO REVIEWS ABOUT RELIGION. I GET VERY SICK OF THOSE ARGUMENTS *Wipes forehead*.]

**************************************

__

YAY! I just hit the hundred-page mark on this book. That means I have over two hundred pages on the **Threads of Time **trilogy. Heh. Gee, and it didn't even take me six months! (I'm such a loser to spend all my free time on this thing.)

Ah well, thus is the life of a fanfiction nut, I guess. I don't know how long it'll be until the next chapter's out. I have a lot of homework I need to get done and a social life that needs some serious patching. *grin* I guess it should be nice to know I'm that dedicated to my fans, eh?

-Itsumo


	12. The Message

__

I think I got this chapter about ready. Ah well, always room to edit and re-post, huh? Speaking of which, I should go back and redo AC 206 a little bit. Dilemma: can't - postpone - work - on - n-e-x-t - c-h-a-p-t-e-r. ARGH! *Sigh* I guess I'll just have to wait until I've finished the entire trilogy. Yes, that's right, a trilogy. I know you're probably thinking, **Man, I gotta read another one of these damn things?** But hey, why not? Don't think you would have stuck around if you hated this story this much.

In any case, Vincent (both of them, really) and Duo have discovered something extremely odd, but exactly what does it mean? And how long will the bigmouth be able to keep the consequences a secret?

****

AC 207: The Hands of Fate

**The Message**

"Duo! What are you doing out here?" Quatre's shock was evident the microsecond Duo's face appeared on the vid screen.

"I have an urgent message for Lady Une," Duo said, his face grim.

Quatre gave him clearance to dock immediately. The messenger ship wasted no time locking in. Une met him right at the end of the ramp. "What's this all about, Maxwell?"

Duo swallowed. "Vincent and I have recovered some very disturbing information, General.

"Where is Vincent?" 

"On Earth protecting our data. We decoded some information about their mobile suits which eerily matches that which Chang Phailin discovered about the Gundam Shenlong-Rebuilt."

"Really?" Une studied him coldly.

"Lady, the trade records for how Beliv's fleet obtained the material and equipment for their mobile suits indicate that they were trading with someone outside Earth or any of the colonies, political affiliations aside. It's likely—"

"It's likely a mining establishment that is newly established by our opponents, Maxwell," Une said quickly, trying to shut him up. "May I remind you that speculation is for private conferences, not freely accessible reports?"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry, General." Duo saluted nervously and glanced around. Nobody else was there, but it suddenly felt as if the walls had ears. _Stupid, stupid, stupid!_ He admonished himself silently.

"Lets speak more about this in my conference chamber," she continued, waving a hand almost carelessly. Her voice softened considerably, and Duo knew she wasn't totally in gung-ho mode. Une had never really gotten rid of her split personalities, and lately she'd been entirely unpredictable.

Once there, Duo laid down the data disc he and Vincent had put together. "The material was shipped from outside our solar system, General. We don't have ships that travel that far that fast, period. Not even Beliv. Now, my teachings dictate that the human race is the only sentient life in the universe, but I can't deny what's in these records."

The door hissed open and Quatre stepped in. "Sorry I'm late. There was a bit of a problem with the navigation equipment again. The locators just keep going haywire. Hello, Duo."

"Hey Quat."

He looked to Une. "What's up?"

She sighed. "It appears Beliv's fleet has discovered an alien race, Quatre."

"_What?_"

"Yes, in fact we've known Beliv's been sending messages into deep space for some time, but all of us in Intelligence have been reluctant to admit what must be happening." Une shook her head. "It seems impossible to believe. You two must understand that the public, as delicate as relations are now, is not ready for this. We probably aren't ourselves. It will cause even more fear and distrust. We may even end up going to war with these people because they have supported Beliv, when in all truth they would have no idea we're at war or why, or possibly understand the significance of our politics."

"It sounds almost like you know who these people are," Duo accused. "In truth, we know nothing about them! Wouldn't it be best to cut Beliv's connection with them before their superior weapons destroy Earth and take the colonies?"

Une looked down at the table, a strange reaction, Quatre thought. "We can't risk intervening. It could be disastrous politically and militarily. We must watch and wait."

Duo studied the older woman critically. Something . . . seemed wrong.

**~~@[~*,~]@~~**

"There are few things the human race can't repair and make even better," Heero told his wife, arm around her shoulders. With some water to clean the stones and some money to redecorate, everything was almost back to normal.

"True," she sighed. "It seems like we've been having to rebuild constantly, though. It's tiring."

"Thus is war," he replied, sounding bitter. It was easy to forget how much he'd been hurt by fighting, Relena realized, a little embarrassed with herself. War had ruined Heero's life, and he was fighting hard to keep it far away from his family. That's why he was supporting the Peacecraft Kingdom so firmly. Most people respected it too much to do harm to them.

Relena shivered. The nights were getting colder, as was the summer slowly turning to autumn. Heero rubbed her bare arm, holding her close to him. He was always warmer than she was. "I suppose you'll be leaving early tomorrow?" she asked.

"I guess I should. The earlier Akiko gets to bed tomorrow night the less exhausted she'll be for school in the morning." School was in session back home before they'd realized. Relena hadn't meant to shave things that close, but it had happened anyway. "I'm going to miss you."

"The days and nights are long when we're separated," he said. "Do you have any idea how long you'll need to stay here?"

"Until we get things straightened out and I have people to run this place in my absence. We were lax about security before and look what happened."

"Be careful."

"I know you worry. I'll be fine."

She'd been restless all night. What felt like hours later she couldn't stand being in bed any longer and began to pace the stone passages again. She was tired enough that her imagination began to become overworked. Echoes of her childhood rang through the halls. Her father's deep voice rumbled in her chest and Milliardo's sticky childish hands made it necessary to clean the carpets and tapestries. They had been such the joy of their parents' lives. Father . . . father had given a diversion that had cost his life so that Milliardo could escape with his baby sister. Even so, they'd been separated.

There was a noise farther down the hall. It sounded like someone trying to break a chain. Relena quickened her pace, suddenly awake again, and saw a light coming from the room where they had stored everything salvageable from the fire. Heero's computer was in there.

The suit of armor nearby had an ornamental battle-ax. When they'd first been together, Heero had insisted she learn how to use weapons. She'd later realized it was because he feared for her safety, but his instruction had done her some good over the years. She grabbed the weapon. Even though it was not anywhere near as sharp as a real one, it could still do some damage.

She peered in the crack of the door and saw movement. She pushed it open slowly, trying to get a better view of the intruder. The sound she had heard was much clearer. They were trying to dismantle the lock Heero had over his computer. Relena gripped the ax tighter.

The door squeaked, and the figure spun around quicker than Relena would have imagined possible for someone to do. "Relena!"

She recognized the voice immediately. "Milliardo— ?"

Finally, she could see him. He was holding several small metal tools and a shocked expression, which she was sure she was mirroring. "What are you doing up at this time of night?"

"I could ask you the same thing! What the hell are you doing? That computer has Heero's private files on it!" She dropped the ax outside the door and glared at him. _Never_ had she thought he'd have the nerve to violate her property like that. "What has gotten into you?"

He avoided her eyes. "That's a bit of a difficult explanation."

"Relena?" Heero was calling her name from down the hall.

"In here!" she shouted, deliberately calling Heero to seek her out.

"God, don't disappear like that. You scared me." He ran to her, not even noticing that his brother-in-law was in the room.

"Heero, Milliardo was trying to break into your computer." Relena refused to get off the subject. Heero's reaction, however, was less than expected.

"Yeah, I know." He turned to her brother, who had relaxed considerably. "You could have warned me about the fire, though. Lungs just don't un-blacken themselves."

"I meant to. I didn't get a chance. I've stumbled onto something way too big for me to handle at the moment." Milliardo sat down in the computer chair and rubbed at his eyes. "But right now, it'd be a good idea to explain some things I can't really find words for, Heero."

Relena had been looking back and forth between them for some time. Obviously, there had been something going on between the two men that had gone completely over her head.

Heero beckoned her out into the dark hall. "I had hoped it would be a while until you discovered exactly what was going on. I didn't mean for it to be like this. I know you're angry, and I'm sorry. Blame me."

"Blame you for what?" Relena felt as if she was missing something important.

Heero leaned against the shadowy wall, his face seeming shamed. "It was Shukumei messing with information. He's . . . _I've_ been giving Milliardo information to pass on to Mariemaia, Beliv and Quatre. He's established himself as a carrier for information that's being passed between them, secretly. We've discovered a lot about the Colony Alliance that could be used to our befit."

"You're using him as a _spy_?" Relena got a cold feeling in the pit of her stomach. "That's being careless and overparanoid! You can't play with people's lives and emotions like that!"

"Shinobi . . . Milliardo's in no danger, I promise. If he had been, I would not have asked him to do it, Relena. Beliv still thinks he's dead and Une trusts him. It's essential that no one knows who he is, regardless."

"Couldn't you have found someone else to play these little games of yours? He's my _brother_, Heero."

"I had to know I could trust them. I know how much he values your life and the lives of everyone in this game. I know he won't betray himself to any side."

She'd spent all this time trying to understand the politics of this war . . . and now Heero was adding another deck of cards and telling her to build a bigger house on top of the one she had. "I . . . I don't believe this," she muttered, storming off to her room.

**~~@[~*,~]@~~**

Heero followed and went to bed, although his wife sat awake through the night at her desk. She was still there in the morning, head pillowed against her arm on the brink of insomnia. Heero, feeling extremely guilty, kissed the top of her head gently. "I know you must feel terrible, and I am sorry. I don't claim that you'll understand what I've done, but I promise I have our best interests in mind at all times. I guess since you know what's going on we can tell you our plans, but . . . well, never mind the buts. Please don't be mad, saiai."

She didn't respond in the slightest. Heero decided it was best to just let her reflect on her own. He walked into the bathroom and started the shower. At least the hot water heater hadn't been damaged, he reflected gratefully, letting the steam clean his sinuses.

The bathroom door opened and closed, and he felt Relena's arms wrap around his waist. She put her cheek against his shoulder, and he couldn't help but smile with relief. It was what a marriage was all about, trust, he thought. Relena still trusted him to make the best decisions, even after all he'd forced her to go through the past weeks and months. He turned around and held her as she dozed a little, exhausted after several nights of little or no sleep. Considering everything they'd been through, he could understand her frustration.

**~~@[~*,~]@~~**

"Not until Christmas," Wufei insisted. "Besides, Mariemaia would get suspicious if it was too soon after she launched."

Phailin couldn't help but accept his desperation. "After Christmas, but before the new year, okay?"

"That will work." Wufei nodded, mostly to himself, and picked up the phone. "Hello? Trowa?"

**~~@[~*,~]@~~**

"Thank you, Trowa, this is wonderfully kind of you." She smiled and took the new ID he had extended to her. Trowa had, through contacts, gotten her a new identity.

"It's my job, Anja." Trowa flashed an ever-so-rare smile. "If anything, I should be thanking you."

"Oh?"

"This adventure has done wonders for my worrying. With my friends and family gone to war . . . it's been difficult here. Thank you for keeping my lonely soul company these past few days."

Anja Carey (as her new ID boasted, instead of Adrianne Shandler) smiled again. "I don't think I'll be able to go back to Canada now, seeing as how I'm a citizen of the British Isles. You aren't renting that room, are you?"

"Wouldn't think of it," he said immediately. "I'll accept no money from you. Stay as long as you need."

"That's very kind of you."

"I wish I could offer more."

She looked pensive for a moment. "How about dinner?"

Trowa blinked. "What?"

"Take me to dinner tonight? It's getting late and I, being trapped in this office all day, haven't eaten, you know."

"Dinner sounds great. I do have some things to tie up, though. Could you wait around for, say, twenty minutes?"

"I've got nowhere else to go." Anja got up and began to examine the photographs on the wall.

Trowa was just coming to a stopping point on his report of the bar fire when his phone rang. Anja squeaked, startled at the sudden loud noise, but settled down and shot him an embarrassed look. He hit the speakerphone. "Hello?"

"Hello? Trowa? It's me."

"Wufei?"

"Yeah. Look, Phailin and I have been talking a little and we decided I should go ahead and take that offer to look after Mariemaia for a while. I won't go until after Christmas, but I'll go. That is, if you haven't found someone else."

"I'd be very grateful if you planned to go on out there," he said, relief evident in his voice. "I know my worries are probably unjust, but I'd feel more secure for other reasons besides Marie."

"We'll work out specific arrangements at a later date, I suppose?"

"We'll talk at Christmas. I heard Relena was going to throw a special party in the Sanc Kingdom. We might as well all go, huh?"

"Sounds good. I'll probably talk to you soon."

"Bye. Oh, and Wufei, thanks again."

"Don't worry about it."

Trowa hit the button and turned to Anja, who was trying hard to look like she hadn't been listening in. "Just a few more minutes and I'll be done."

"You . . . you're the real Trowa Barton, aren't you?" she asked, as if she was in doubt of it.

He nodded. "I am. Just a little warning of what you're getting into, I suppose."

"You look different from the photos I've seen."

"I changed my outward appearance. I find the anonymity somewhat refreshing." He closed the file folder and stood. "Shall we go to dinner?"

"Yes, we should." She detached herself from looking at the pictures on his wall. "So tell me, what's Mariemaia really like? I've always wondered what's become of the poor thing."

Trowa turned his gaze away and locked the office door. "She's a sweet thing, my niece," he sighed. "With an independent streak and her father's courage, for sure. I'm very worried about her fighting."

Anja smiled. "I'm sure she's fine."

**~~@[~*,~]@~~**

"Hey, Commander Khushrenada?" The communications officer waved frantically from his station.

Sensing something out of place, Mariemaia stopped at his shoulder. "What is it?"

"We've got another call of unknown origin."

"Let me have this station," she said hurriedly. "Go busy yourself. It might be private."

"Yes, Ma'am."

Mariemaia hit the receive button. "Yes?"

It wasn't Shinobi, or even Trowa or one of the others. It wasn't _someone_, but merely an encoded, extremely odd computer document, attached to a note. The note said: _Requesting the Scrutiny of Fortuna_.

It was, she noticed, a streaming communication. Their connection was still live. She keyed in the message, which glowed in bright on the dim screen on the dark bridge. _This is a message for my Gundam_?

_Yes_. The screen shut down and left the files waiting on the active memory.

Mariemaia found an empty disc and loaded them on. She found herself entrusting her most precious machine to an anonymous message.

It wasn't until late in the night cycle when Mariemaia had time to go talk to Fortuna. The Gundam— for lack of a better denomination— had been fairly cold and to itself, much unlike her Kirin had been. Mariemaia found herself seeming ridiculous assigning her mobile suits personalities, but to her they did.

IT IS LATE, COMRADE. There had been some confusion on Fortuna's part over what Mariemaia wanted to be referred to as. She had blatantly refused to be called by a rank. She was done with the military. Fortuna didn't want to call her 'friend,' although Marie probably would have liked it.

"I got some things and I was told to give them to you. Don't ask me what it's about, because I don't know." She held the card up (although how was she supposed to know Fortuna could see it?) and then plugged it in.

The computer became very excited after a few seconds. Things flashed by on the screen and the strange pulsing noise the Gundam made quickened.

"What is it?" she asked.

It was a few seconds before the reply. IT IS HIGHLY PRIVATE, BUT THERE IS ALSO SOME INFORMATION ABOUT OUR ENEMY. YOU SHOULD TRANSFER THESE TRANSLATED DOCUMENTS BACK TO THE COMPUTER OF YOUR TRAVELING CRAFT. Fortuna spit the data disc out, and Mariemaia noticed it was now carrying about half of what it had been carrying originally. AND YOU SHOULD GET REST, AS SHOULD I. I AM PREDICTING A LONG DAY AHEAD.

**~~@[~*,~]@~~**

Shenlong flashed its cockpit lights and Phailin chuckled. "Intervening little thing, aren't you? I swear, it's like having a child around, Wu."

"A very _large_ child," Wufei retorted sarcastically, kissing her again out of spite. "And _you_ can shut your trap."

Phailin reached over her husband and plugged the data cables into the outlet. "I found some germanium cables, so be grateful for that. It wasn't easy, let me tell you. They weigh a couple of tons."

GERMANIUM IS ONE OF THE HEAVIER ELEMENTS, Shenlong said, AND FAIRLY RARE. IT IS NOT MY FAULT.

"Correction, Wu. He's a teenager." Phailin wrapped her arms and legs around the thick, slippery bundle of cables and slid the few hundred feet down to the computer room.

Wufei appeared on the monitor. "I'm glad we decided to continue these tests at this abandoned base. I was getting suspicious about what Une was doing with our reports. I hear most of the mobile suits have been recalled for conditioning."

"Doesn't surprise me. I was a little edgy about reporting our findings to the committee." Phailin got her bearings at the terminal and began to open the connection into Shenlong's brain.

"I'm sure Relena would object to being called a committee. She was the only one who really understood what this means, large-scale," Wufei said, running his fingers across the controls.

"I think Une might have a better idea than you think. She's a competent woman. Anyone who was as close to Treize as she was has to know a little bit about consequences."

"Point," he conceded. "Ah, wait— I'm getting an incoming transmission. Don't try anything or you'll disrupt it. Hello?"

"Hey Wuffie. Where've you been? I've been trying to call." Duo batted his eyelashes in the corner of the screen. Wufei sputtered, at a loss for a good retort, and Duo grinned and winked (obviously at Phailin, who was chuckling). "Thought maybe we could go out to dinner tonight. I found a nice French place downtown—"

"Speaking of kids," Wufei growled. "What do you want, Maxwell?"

"Aw, nothing. I just wanted to see if I could interrupt someone today. Heero and Relena are in separate countries, so you guys are my last resort—"

"Is something wrong, Duo?" Phailin caught on to his act and his words.

"Wrong? Nah. What gave you that imp—" There was a muffled thump and the screen filled with snow for a moment. "— What was that? Are you in a building or something? Is this a bad connection?"

As Wufei made a face, about to yell at Duo that he'd probably hit his knee against the transmitter, saw his wife's expression and stopped.

"It isn't on my end," The God of Death insisted, diving under his console.

Phailin scanned their frequency. "No, Duo. We're secure. What's going on out there?"

"I seem the man to come to in desperate situations recently," Wufei muttered, finally catching on to Duo's act.

Duo took a seat again and instantly looked a lot more serious. "Did you guys get my message about that information Vincent and I uncovered?

"Yes, we did," Phailin said.

"Did you come to the same conclusion?"

"It's not the most positive outlook on part of the human race, but yeah." Wufei glanced over to the screen where Shenlong had been making comments for the past few moments. "Shenlong says he has an idea that we've known about it for longer than even Une is willing to admit."

"That's what Deathscythe said, too. You know, I wonder sometimes exactly how much our Gundams can sense about these new mobile suits. I went out with Quatre on a scouting mission near Mariemaia's fleet and Deathscythe got really flustered. He won't tell me what he was detecting, but it sure made him frightened. I've never known him to actually want to avoid confrontation before."

"I may be able to get you information." Wufei said. "Trowa has me going to join Mariemaia after Christmas. I don't know how much she'll trust me, but I should be able to find out why Deathscythe was so disturbed."

Duo snorted, although his expression said a lot less to Phailin about pity than his words did. "Good luck. She'll probably have beaten Beliv by then."

"Let's hope," she said.

"Yeah, well, happy trails you two. I'll call you if I find out anything more."

"Sure thing, Duo." The screen went blank and Phailin shut down the frequency.

"Where were we?" Wufei asked. "I've lost my place now."

The computer beeped insistently.

"What?" he asked, glancing over at the screen.

I SAID, The screen typed, projecting an air of irritation, THAT DEATHSCYTHE MIGHT HAVE FELT THE SAME STRANGE AURA THAT I FELT FROM THAT CARGO SHIP THAT LIFTED OFF FROM NHONG KAI. IT WAS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO PLACE, THOUGH I INTERPRETED IT AS A MOBILE SUIT POWER SIGNATURE. IT WAS FAR MORE POWERFUL THAN EVEN ZERO CUSTOM-RB'S IS, AND THAT'S A COMPLIMENT TO ITS MAKERS. A MOBILE SUIT SUCH AS THAT MUST HAVE BEEN IN PRODUCTION FOR AT LEAST A DECADE.

"Could it have been another Epyon?" Wufei asked.

THIS SUIT'S POWER WOULD HAVE OVERWHELMED ANY MODIFICATION TO THE GUNDAM EPYON.

"Incredible," Phailin said. "It must have been stolen or donated for Mariemaia's organization."

THAT IS ENTIRELY POSSIBLE.

Phailin punched buttons on her computer. "Did you record the energy signature?"

YES.

Wufei whistled quietly as the data (or at least the bit that could be understood) scrolled by on his screen. "Wow."

"Simply put," Phailin breathed, reaching out to touch the screen, as if the information would leap into her head. "Under applied physics, this seems impossible."

WHICH IS WHAT CONFUSES MY SYSTEM, Shenlong said. MY COMPUTER IS NOT DESIGNED TO THINK IN THEORY, AND THAT IS MOSTLY WHAT MODERN PHYSICS IS. WHOEVER HAS BUILT THIS . . . THING . . . HAS A GREATER GRASP OF SCIENCE THAN ANYTHING OR ANYONE I KNOW OF.

Wufei grimaced. "This unnerves me."

"As it does me," Phailin agreed. "How could we acquire such technology?"

There was silence for a moment. Then Wufei said, "You just explained it. Duo . . . Duo was right all along."

***************************************************************

_Everyone wants to play fate these days. Heero may think he can be Shukumei, and Duo may think he can be Shinigami, and as Shinobi Milliardo may think he's on top of things, but how much do they really know? How have outsiders intervened in the workings of the human race?_

The Sanc Kingdom, fallen so many times, is still fragile with defeat. As Relena battles the reality of the past and the deception of her own family, Heero too must try and understand why his wife defies precedent and why he is so opposed to her optimism. The next chapter of **AC 207: The Hands of Fate** is "The Consequences of Repetition."


	13. The Consequences of Repetition

Once again, hello all __

Once again, hello all. It's been a frantic few weeks for me, but I managed to get this chapter finished. I don't have much to report except all my friends are abandoning me, but life goes on . . . at least I have all my loyal fans ^_^

**AC 207: The Hands of Fate (Part XIII)**

**The Consequences of Repetition**

"You're telling me you weren't even worrying about terrorists and protesters?" Milliardo's tone sounded incredulous. "You've been away from the Sanc Kingdom much too long."

Relena sighed. "Dreams can distort memories, I guess."

"And that's why I don't really understand the purpose of dredging this kingdom up again." Milliardo was standing at the window behind his sister's desk, looking out over the garden and, further out, the graveyard. "Can't the Peacecraft name rest in peace?"

"You still carry that name."

"Only because I don't care to change it. Being a dead man is refreshing."

"I'll tell you what I tell myself everyday, as a Peacecraft," Relena said after a moment. "It's gotten to the point where I don't really belong with that name any longer. I no longer believe in total pacifism, but I still dream of a world where it will happen. We have to keep the dream alive, for others and ourselves. That is the important thing. If we all give up hope for peace, there is no way it will happen. There is no place I'd rather be than with my family . . . but here is where everyone else obviously wants me. Some may think I'm making a fool of myself, but some will be encouraged by my stance. Those few people could turn the tides to a war-less world."

A bird chirped on the tree outside, and Milliardo shook his head, disagreeable. "Your ideals are fine in times when there is no fighting, but in times of war it's the people who have the best troops and the best technology and the greatest numbers who win. In this case, we all have the strength of our convictions, no matter how immoral or shortsighted they are. That is why I'm uneasy about things."

"Mariemaia will win, I'm positive of it," Relena said. Her fighters are very dedicated, that much is clear to see. She doesn't pay them, Milliardo, but they follow her with only the will to stop the war."

"But when? It could be years before they overwhelm Beliv's troops."

"That is why we must uphold a strong symbol until this war is won. _That_ is why the Peacecraft name has been resurrected. People need a prominent mark to turn to in times of uncertainly and hopelessness."

Her voice echoed from the garden outside, and a small group of swallows took flight. She certainly had the strength of _her_ convictions, which was indeed the mark of a Peacecraft. It was funny, though, how she supported the ongoing of scuffles within the human race itself. She was, as any woman ultimately became, practical. She understood that people could never _not_ disagree. That wasn't the mark of a Peacecraft. It was more like a Darlian, yet for now she claimed the Peacecraft name. How ironic.

"Than a dead man resurrected would be perfect for the job," he said.

"What?"

"I'm alive, and I should have been killed," he gripped the windowsill with his white gloves. "I can become the Peacecraft Kingdom now. There is no need for you to stay here when you have a family to take care of, especially with the ideals that would have been so controversial to father. I'm a veteran of the old war, and I'm sick of the fighting. I think total pacifism would only drain you now. Let me take over here."

"What do you have planned?" she accused. "I don't intend to give up this hope if it's going to be manipulated into one of yours and Heero's plans for sabotage."

Milliardo raised his hands to ward off her wrath. "I have nothing like that planned. My job as Shinobi is over. I quit, I promise. It's too dangerous to linger between those bombs any longer. Noin wants to settle down somewhere out of harm's way, and at the moment the shock of seeing Milliardo Peacecraft alive might help the tension on Earth. You're busy with other things and can't handle running a kingdom at the same time. Your stance would contradict your situation."

"Let me sleep on it," she said. Milliardo knew he should prepare to take over. Relena was a practical woman. She knew when to back down. She knew what was more important.

**~~@[~*,~]@~~**

"Are you sure?" Dennis bit his lip. "That information could very well be false. It could be a trap, Marie."

"No, I don't think so. It makes sense for Beliv to stop right behind the border. He'd wait until we relaxed and then charge right back in with minimum warning time on our part. We have to attack while they're still damaged."

"Whoever said anything about them being damaged?" Ben pointed out. "They came off that last battle fairly well, I thought.

"You don't think we should attack?"

"I don't think it will be significant either way."

"Considering that they'd have backup nearby, it puts us at a disadvantage," Dennis said.

The comm beeped.

"Yes?"

"Ma'am, our intelligence indicates that the Earth fleet and several allied colony fleets are converging not far from here. They're headed into Beliv's territory."

"Thank you," Mariemaia said. "Good job."

"Thank you, Ma'am."

Mariemaia glanced at the others in triumph. "See? We should prepare to move out."

"We can't expect that Une will defend us. We're criminals to them!" Cam said.

"But we'll all be fighting Beliv. If the stakes get too high we'll pull out. We'll be fine. We've got the finest group of pilots of everybody."

"You sure have faith in your troops," Ben said.

"Would you rather me not?" Mariemaia issued her orders swiftly and boarded Fortuna, who was already started up. "You were right after all," she told the gundam. "Today is going to be busy."

**~~@[~*,~]@~~**

"You ready, buddy?" Duo jiggled the controls to get Deathscythe warmed up. "Man, I wish I'd trained a little more. I'll be lucky if I survive this."

A FINE IMPRESSION TO LEAVE ON YOUR SON, Deathscythe said.

"Oh, what a great sense of humor you have," Duo said sarcastically.

I THOUGHT YOU LIKED TO JOKE.

"Leave my son out of it." 

"The tension mounts, huh?" Quatre, too, warmed up his equipment. "I haven't been this nervous sense Relena was kidnapped. I wonder if—"

"Don't even say it's an omen."

"I was _going_ to say maybe we'd get another glimpse of that strange gundam in Mariemaia's fleet."

They launched.

"Quatre, Duo, Beliv's ready for us," Une said. "He's been preparing his troops for this battle. It's easy to tell from the arrogance in his voice. Be careful out there."

"Roger that," Duo sighed.

The mobile suits approached quickly. Duo knew that these suits were better designed than the old ones. Their armor was far superior to Gundanium. This time, he and Quatre were at a disadvantage. He struck the front line from above, not waiting for the enemy to notice his approach. His survival all depended on his ability to be unexpected.

Quatre narrowly avoided a blast from a beam cannon and cursed inwardly. Ground combat was his best area of expertise, not space combat. He struck left with his sickles and chopped the sensor array off of the enemy mobile suit. Disoriented, the pilot's reflexes caused him to plunge into his comrade (the one who'd made the shot at Quatre) before he exploded.

Left— right— back— ugh, up— Duo waved his twin-ended scythe desperately. A whole squadron of enemies had converged on him, intent to take out the most major threat to the battleships. He yelped as one of his panels sparked, only then realizing that his suit had been damaged. "Damn!"

The five pestering suits surrounding suddenly split in half and cauliflowered outward in flame. Duo caught sight of some kind of giant shuriken outlined in the explosion as it engulfed him.

"God, of all people, Maxwell, I would have thought you'd have been sane enough to stay out of this battle."

"Marimaia. Boy, I could never say how good it is to hear your voice at the moment, girl." Duo grinned, glanced at his screen, sliced another suit and turned to Marie's image on his comm unit.

"My fleet's a good ten minutes behind me. I came ahead to help you hold your own until then." She spoke coldly, as if she didn't know him. Her face disappeared and the brief conversation was over.

THE PRESENCE IS HERE AGAIN, Deathscythe said.

"How did she get here ten minutes ahead of her own fleet?" Duo wondered aloud. He remembered Deathscythe's reading of the power output on the "presence" and swore aloud. Those were damn powerful engines.

"Hey, Quat! Marie's here!" He shouted into his comm after opening the channel again.

"Sandrock's getting all jittery again," Quatre confirmed. "I mean, they can't feel fear, can they?"

FEAR IS A HIGHLY AMBIGUOUS WORD, AS EMOTIONS ARE SUBJECT TO DEBATE AMONG ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, Deathscythe said.

"Deathscythe said that they're feeling they're own type of fear," Duo reported. "What do you want to bet it's Mariemaia's new ride?"

"No doubt," Quatre said as a shock wave rang through his cockpit. "Yaah, get BACK! That was too close."

"What does it feel like, Shinigami?" Duo insisted, swinging his scythe and catching the beam saber of another enemy.

IT IS LIKE, TO PUT IT IN HUMAN TERMS, TRYING TO DESCRIBE A FUTURISTIC CITY IN SPACE WITH THE COMPREHENSION OF A NEANDERTHAL. THIS SUIT IS THE PINNACLE OF THE ULTIMATE UNDERSTANDING THAT I HAVE NO WAY OF PLACING UPON THE HUMAN SITUATION.

"That can't be good," Duo said.

IT IS VERY GOOD, BECAUSE IT IS ON OUR SIDE, Deathscythe corrected. BUT THIS THING IS BY ALL DEFINITION IMPOSSIBLE. IT OVERWHELMS ME.

"Count on the daughter of Treize to achieve that," Duo muttered.

**~~@[~*,~]@~~**

"How are you doing out there, Marie?" Dennis's voice came through, slightly fuzzy from the jamming.

"I'm okay," she shouted back. "The Earth Sphere United Space Force is doing pretty damn good for green troops, but they'll need our help before long. I think we timed things just about right.

"Good. All that less doubt in your leadership, I guess. We'll see you there soon. It's dangerous to talk like this."

"Right. Bye." Marie hit the switch and turned her attentions back to the battlefield. It was just a matter of how much she was willing to fight, really. She could probably make this battle hers alone.

ARROGANCE IS ONE OF THE LEADING CAUSES OF DEATH, Fortuna cautioned her. I DO NOT BELIEVE WE WOULD SURVIVE IF LEFT TO OUR OWN DEVICES.

"What makes you say that?" she asked.

BECAUSE I KNOW MYSE— the screen flickered and Fortuna interrupted herself. WHAT WAS THAT?

"What?" Marie scanned the surrounding space and blinked. "This is crazy. Is that a _horse_?"

THAT MUCH I CAN CONFIRM, Fortuna said.

_BUSY, BUSY,_ said a voice that sounded, as best as Marie could describe, like funeral bells. _YES, THAT'S MY HORSE BINKY. ARE YOU MARIEMAIA?_

Marie glanced to her left and about died from an exploded heart. "WHAT THE—"

_PLEASED TO MEET YOU TOO, _the skeleton grumbled_. _Marie realized its eye sockets were glowing, and that everything but her had frozen in place. _CALL ME DEATH. NO, I'M NOT HERE FOR YOU. COINCIDENTALLY, I HAPPENED TO BE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND MY FRIEND ASKED ME TO DELIVER A MESSAGE TO YOU. HE SAID TO TELL YOU THAT IF YOU EVER NEED HIM, JUST CALL FOR HIM. HE HEARS YOU WHEREVER HE IS. NOW, IF YOU ASK ME, THAT'S EXPRESS SERVICE. I MEAN, I'M USED TO IT, WHAT WITH SNAPPING MY FINGERS AND ALL THAT, BUT FOR A _HUMAN_ THAT'S A GREAT FAVOR. AH, WELL, BACK TO WORK._

"W— wait. W— who?" Marie leaned away from the skeleton, but he was already drifting out— through her entry portal and back to the inexplicable horse.

_OH, I DID FORGET TO MENTION THAT, DIDN'T I? HE SAYS TO TELL YOU HE'S THE ONLY ONE WHO THINKS YOU'RE WORTH THIS MUCH TROUBLE._

"Oh, that helps," she bit off sarcastically.

_WELL I'M GLAD. I REALLY MUST GO NOW. PEOPLE TO TAKE TO THE AFTERLIFE AND ALL THAT . . ._

"That is really annoying," Mariemaia remarked as time snapped back into place. "First I'm being pursued by a ghost, now it's Death himself!"

SAY AGAIN?

"You heard me. The God of Death just paid me a visit."

PERHAPS THAT WAS THE ENERGY FLUCTUATION I DETECTED.

The horse was gone.

"This is messed up," she sighed. "Next thing I know someone's going to tell me all my base is belong to them." Marie found a mobile suit to take her anger out on.

HUMANS ARE SUCH RANDOM CREATURES, Fortuna said. IN A STRANGE WAY, IT IS ALLURING.

**~~@[~*,~]@~~**

Duo couldn't resist the boyish urge to try and compete with Mariemaia. All she was to him (although Deathscythe said he could translate an image from the energy signature) was a ball of light. There was no way he could ever catch up to her, but he was putting all he had into it anyway.

"Hey boys, have you met Shinigami? Heh, now you have! Good luck in the afterlife!" He laughed with exhilaration. "Just like the old days, huh Quat?"

"Duo, look out there's a suit on your tail—!"

He turned and brought up his scythe, just barely in time. His damaged arm wasn't performing as well as he would have liked. The enemy made a cut low with his beam saber and alarms sounded where Duo again wasn't fast enough to counter. He swore. "Damn. Quatre? Marie? Guys, help me out here! I gotta get back for repairs!"

"Duo, I can't! I'm hung up! Mariemaia, help!"

Duo cut power to his left engine, which was overheating. He overcompensated for the sudden sag in propulsion and rammed into his opponent. He lashed out with his leg and managed to strike the other with it. "I'm outta here!" He hit full power on his thrusters and the left one failed entirely. "Damn!"

The other suit, seeing he was distracted, struck.

There was a flash of heat and light, and then everything went utterly black. "And I didn't even have time to scream," he muttered. "Hey, wait a minute, I can still hear myself."

THAT IS A COMMON MISTAKE. The voice seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere. In fact, Duo wasn't sure he should have called it a voice. It was really just ideas in the form of almost-words appearing in his brain. IT IS MERELY A MEMORY OF YOUR VOICE TALKING TO A PROJECTION OF WHAT WAS FORMERLY YOUR PHYSICAL STATE.

There he was. Death. Shinigami. Duo stared. Or at least he _thought_ he stared. "Say again?"

IF I COULD ROLL MY EYES I'D BE DOING SO, said Shinigami. FOR THE ONE WHO CLAIMS TO BE MY PHYSICAL INCARNATION YOU SURE DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW THINGS WORK.

"I just kill people," he said.

THEN YOU ARE NOT DEATH, the skeleton in the cowl said. DEATH DOES NOT KILL PEOPLE. PEOPLE KILL PEOPLE.

"You sound like an NRA representative. God, you know one of those people came to my door just recently. He tried to sell me a gun when I had a _baby_ in my hands. They're such evil jerks it's sickening . . ."

I AM NOT A GOD, MERELY A FIGUREHEAD. Death sounded irritated. I WISH PEOPLE WOULD GET THAT STRAIGHT. AND IT DOESN'T HELP, YOU HAVING GONE AROUND PROMOTING YOURSELF AS ME. THAT'S DOWNRIGHT NOT NICE.

"I didn't call you God. I do have my own God, thanks."

YOU SAID—

"It's a figure of speech!"

AH. Death twiddled his scythe. WELL, ARE YOU READY TO GO INTO THE AFTERLIFE OR WHAT?

Duo gave him a look. "Dude, why would I _ever_ be ready to die? I've got a wife and a baby who won't even remember me! Hell no, I'm not going!"

I AM AFRAID YOU DON'T HAVE MUCH OF A CHOICE IN THE MATTER, MR. SHINIGAMI. NOW, GO. THERE IS A . . . WHATSIT— ANGEL WAITING TO TAKE YOU. AND MY, SHE LOOKS RATHER IMPATIENT.

_"I do have a schedule to keep,"_ said the angel wearily. _"You can write up your challenge waiting in line at the gates. It's quite busy at the moment."_

Duo planted his, um, feet firmly on the, um, sand(?) and shook his head. "No."

Death reached out and grasped Duo's arm with a set of carpals. YOU MUST GO, MR. MAXWELL. DON'T MAKE THIS DIFFICULT.

"I'm not ready. You asked."

IT WAS A RHETORICAL, POINTLESS QUESTION, sighed Death. MAYBE I OUGHT TO STOP USING IT.

"Is there a problem?" Someone materializ— um, appeared out of nowhere.

MY MISTAKEN FOLLOWER REFUSES TO DIE, Death said.

Duo sputtered. It would have been funny if he'd had a glass of water, he reflected later.

"Well, that's unfortunate," drawled the ghost of Treize. "There's been quite a few tonight, I think. What does he look like this time?"

Death held up his now numb arm. Well, it would have been numb if he'd had nerves and all that. Death had a strong grip.

Treize looked over Duo and his "expression" turned from boredom to anger. He seized Death by the other radius/ulna pair and yanked him away. "We had a talk—"

They had an argument, and Duo found himself more and more lost with every word. There was something about prearranged . . .

Finally, Death turned. FINE, BUT NO MORE FALSE PROMOTIONS OF ME AND MY JOB, he said. He snapped his phalanges.

Duo blinked. The world suddenly looked blurry and— "Ah, bright," he whimpered, squinting into his own personal sun.

"Thank God, we all thought we'd lost you, Maxwell." Une leaned between him and the light, a relief on his part.

"No, thank Death," he said. "And thank your old boyfriend, too. They wouldn't let me die."

She raised an eyebrow. "Maybe they didn't bring you completely back. Doctor, Maxwell needs a bit of a brain scan."

"No, he's always like this," Quatre came to his rescue. "Don't worry about it, Une. He's fine."

"Yeah, I'm fine." Duo concluded that he was in a medical suite aboard their cruiser. "In fact, I kinda feel like getting up—" he started to sit up.

"That wouldn't be advisable," Quatre said, quickly pushing him back. "Pain medicine's wonderful, but you definitely shouldn't be trying to walk. You almost got both your legs blown off. It's a good thing our spacesuits are fireproof."

Duo looked down. "I can't see my legs. Are you sure they're still there?"

"There's a bedsheet over them, Duo," Une said, exasperated.

"Joking. It was a friggin' joke, okay? I almost died. How do you think I feel? Can I be allowed a little humor?"

"Not in my presence."

"So leave."

She turned one hundred and eighty degrees and did so.

"Lady Une has her own sense of humor," Quatre said, smiling a little.

"Yeah, I just don't find it funny."

"At least you didn't get court-marshaled for talking back to a superior officer. She's in one of her better moods."

"Yeah, 'cause she thought I died," Duo muttered.

"That's a little harsh, Duo," Quatre scolded.

"Duh."

"On another note," Quatre continued, ignoring his rude comrade, "Deathscythe was almost completely destroyed. I have no idea what we're going to do now. All we have left is the brain casing, and it will take at least a year to build another gundam."

"I'd be happy if you but his brain in a Kirin or something," Duo said. "Although I will miss that scythe."

"I'll talk to the engineers about a temporary brain-switch," Quatre said ponderously. "That might be an interesting feat of biotechnology . . ."

"I'd like to keep my mind in this body, thanks. Blonde's not my style."

Quatre chuckled. "I was talking about Deathscythe, silly."

"Once again, joke."

"Well, it's nice to know you're not feeling too bad. If you need the nurse, there's a button over there that pumps more medicine into your IV. Either that, or yell."

Duo grinned. "I'll try the button first. Drugs always help."

Quatre excused himself and left Duo alone to think.

Duo discovered his hair had come out again and started to attempt to rebraid it. He ran his hand over the tangled mass and felt something sharp. He made a face and rooted around until he found it, and pulled.

It was a mouse. In a cowl. A mouse _skeleton_. SQUEAK, it said.

Duo grabbed its minuscule scythe. "Dude, can I have this?"

SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEEE SQUEH SQUEAK!! said the Death of Rats, stomping its tiny feet.

Duo laughed. "Too bad, mine now!" He swished it experimentally. "This is a cool blade, all blush-clear and all . . ."

SQUEAK, the Death of Rats sighed. It snapped its fingers.

"Argh, my legs! Okay, you win," Duo squeaked. "Just give me back my clothes!!"

_You know,_ he thought suddenly as he heard a distant, ghostly chuckle, _maybe that ghost is what Mariemaia's been so up in arms about._

_You know, _he thought suddenly as he listened to himself think, _I'm starting to consider Treize Khushrenada's ghost _normal._ Now _that_ is messed up._

**~~@[~*,~]@~~**

_It's made of such a strange material_, Mariemaia thought as she looked over Fortuna. The wings from far away looked like metal, but up close. "They're almost like feathers," she whispered, stroking the vein patterns, which shimmered in the bay lights. "Who had the time to design such detail and refinement?"

She'd asked everyone who'd had any experience with the mobile suit about the origin of it, but no one was able to confirm the exact shipment it came with. But there was no way she had come in pieces, as Dennis had said. It wasn't possible to assemble something like this that quickly.

"Where did you come from?" she asked.

The gundam seemed to breathe, to move beyond the vibrations of the engines. Mariemaia was almost convinced the suit could move by itself when she wasn't watching.

The only quirk she noticed, however, seemed to be the fluctuation in reaction time. The response seemed to change on the basis of individual actions. Especially the kill swings. It was like Fortuna didn't trust her.

She climbed into the cockpit and ran a diagnostic on the computer. I'M IN PERFECT CONDITION,Fortuna said.

"You had battle damage," she challenged.

There was a pause. I AM SELF-REPAIRING.

Marie closed the hatch and sat back in the seat (it was always warm). The whole cockpit had a very human feel to it, unlike Heavyarms or her old Kirin's very sterile, mechanical effect. Everything was so graceful and soft-colored. The walls had a faint vessel pattern. The seat was soft and conformed to her body. When she got up there would always be an impression of her back against it for a few moments. It was almost like being inside a womb. "Let's be frank," she said in the seclusion the seal offered. "You don't really trust me, do you?"

IT IS DIFFICULT FOR ME TO ADJUST AT THIS POINT, Fortuna said after another pause. I HAVE MANY CONFLICTS TO CONFRONT BEFORE I WILL BEGIN TO TRUST ANY PILOT.

"I didn't know gundams had emotional difficulties."

YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND, YOU HUMANS, she said after a much longer silence. The words seemed to burn on the screen. NOT THAT YOU'VE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN, OR ARE UNWILLING TO LEARN, BUT YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND.

"So teach me," Marie said.

I CAN'T.

"Why not? I am hungry to escape this primordial soup of ignorance my people dwell in. Indulge me, please."

I DON'T TRUST YOU YET.

Mariemaia felt herself deflate with disappointment. "Well, I'll tell you something about myself," she said quietly. "My father was a great aristocrat in his time, though controversial. He waged war and was eventually killed. He loved war. Because I was young, he was my hero. I waged war and loved it. Now, people still judge me by those actions, and I still judge myself. I've done everything to run with only those who see through the cape of presumption that's been laid on my shoulders, but I can't ever escape my father's ghost."

YOU'RE RUNNING FROM THE PHANTOM OF YOUR PAST, AS AM I, Fortuna said. I CAN OFFER THE COMFORT THAT WE MAY SEE MANY THINGS IN THE SAME LIGHT.

"Who are you?" she asked.

I AM A MOBILE SUIT NAMED FORTUNA, IN THE ANCIENT LANGUAGE OF LATIN IT MEANS FATE. I DID NOT CHOOSE MY NAME. I DID NOT CHOOSE MY DESTINY, EITHER.

Marie smiled. "And I am Mariemaia Khushrenada, the symbol of all righteous human conscientiousness. That's how they should see me, whether they actually do or not."

GOOD LUCK.

Marie left the gundam to herself and paused again at the great black wings. She ran a hand down one, and jumped when she thought she felt it twitch. _It must have been my imagination, _she thought, trying to calm her pounding heart. The material rustled aside to reveal more layers. _Who are you?_ She wondered again.

"If there could be a perfect mobile suit . . ." Cam said quietly, watching. He had come to help her with the check-up, but was finding little to do but watch her. Marie couldn't hear him from where he was. "Not to mention a perfect pilot. She's a beauty."

Marie turned and saw him reclining against Fortuna's palm.

"They wanted you on the bridge," he said and she left immediately.

"Marie, you know we haven't thought up a name for our little mobile nation?" Ben asked as soon as she arrived.

"I have the perfect name," she replied, her eyes turned to the panorama of stars in the viewscreen. "If justice is what we seek, then we must run from the ghosts of immoral human ideals. I think . . . I think the Phantom Runners would be perfect."

Dennis and Ben met each other's eye and smiled behind her back, catching the metaphor but not its whole meaning. "The Phantom Runners it is."

****

~~@[~*,~]@~~

"Long trip, honey?"

Relena smiled and fell into Heero's arms. "Yes, but I think everything's taking an upward turn. Who knows, maybe the war will be over by Christmas."

"Speaking of Christmas, you know it's only a few months away."

"I can't believe it's already October," she muttered sleepily. "I didn't realize the Sanc Kingdom would keep me another month. It just feels like I've missed lifetimes with you and the girls . . ."

"You've already apologized, many times," he comforted. "They understand, and you have plenty of time with them now."

"I suppose," she said. "I thought I knew that war rips families apart when I was fifteen, but being a parent is even worse. You feel responsible."

"Responsible? Me? Never." Heero said.

Relena smirked and jabbed him lightly in the stomach. "You get guilty when I tell you to comb your hair. Don't give me that."

Heero hugged her and sighed. "Yeah, I know. I've been thinking, though, even if the war isn't over, it wouldn't be a bad idea to find an excuse to throw a Christmas party."

"I'd been considering that myself," she replied.

"Just family and friends," Heero continued, "no big political names. It's been so long since we've all been together it's just insane."

"It only seems like days ago I came home to find Zero on the front lawn," Relena reflected. "I haven't been able to breathe properly since then."

****************************************************

_That's it for this chapter. Duo meets Death, as promised (it's supposed to be funny). Well, I've got one more chapter planned for this book before I move on to _**AC 208: The Search for Truth**. _So stay tuned for_ _Heero and Relena's Christmas party, _**AC 207: The Hands of Fate (Part XIV)**: "Snow Drifts Down Slowly Upon Decimated Souls."


	14. Snow Drifts Down Slowly upon Decimated S...

(GW 2-14) Snow Drifts Down Slowly upon Decimated Souls __

Da-da-dum! (Ominous thunder rolls). This is the last chapter of Book 2, **The Hands of Fate**! More messages follow, but for now just read and enjoy.

**AC 207: The Hands of Fate (Part XIV)**

**Snow Drifts Down Slowly upon Decimated Souls**

"Ah, Christmas Eve," Duo sighed, sipping his eggnog. "The most magical of all evenings, really."

"Only because we ourselves make it so," Trowa said.

"Well, that's what counts, doesn't it?" Wufei said. "The world as it exists is how we decide to view it. I could be in a bad right now because tomorrow I'm leaving for who knows how long, but I'm trying to enjoy my last moments here."

"You sure have gotten docile since you got married," Duo commented.

"Same to you," Wufei bit back.

Heero chuckled to himself, sitting on the floor with his book, facing the fireplace.

"Dinner's on, guys." Relena appeared from the kitchen. She was followed by a waft of warm, sweet-smelling air.

"All right!" Duo jumped up and swept his son into his arms. "Man, I can smell that Chicken. C'mon, Vince."

"Who knew," Phailin said, proudly presenting the bird. "Maybe I can cook."

Everyone dished up and found themselves a place at the dining room table. Most of them hadn't been aware there _was_ a dining room until Relena had begun to clean it up that afternoon. It was snowing outside, piling up against the bottom edge of the picture windows. The woods nearby looked enchanted. Heero sat down at the head of the table, poured his warmed mulberry wine and waited for the others to settle down. There were fourteen of them; himself, Relena, Akiko and Raina; Milliardo and Noin; Trowa and his new lady Anja; Wufei and Phailin; Vincent the elder; and Duo, Sophie and the baby. Mariemaia had ignored her invitation. Quatre and Une hadn't been able to make it back from the fleet, perhaps in perspective a better Christmas present for Quatre, Heero reflected. It still seemed strange to see Milliardo and Noin wearing rings. Raina was already forming words. It had all happened so fast.

The crystal rang as he tapped it lightly with his fork. "Before we start," he said, "I would like propose a toast."

"Hear hear," some of the others said, shooting him grins.

"Get it on!" Duo yelled playfully.

(Unheard, something in Duo's hair said MMPHSQUEAK!)

"Over the past year and a half, which to most if not all of us seemed like mere seconds of our lives, so much has changed. Time rolls over our shoulders like water, and sometimes so does blood. It is unavoidable, this thin red line we stand on, but for every one of us our efforts not to fall to either side are commendable. The world we live in is harsh and sometimes cruel, but we've all found our own way to survive. As Duo said just a few minutes ago, tonight is magical, whether it be because of Santa Claus or as a last retreat before another hard journey. Every one of us here— and some of us that aren't— deserve thanks and warmth, good food and good company. Thank you all for being here, and please give thoughts to those who couldn't."

"To us!" echoed the entire table, clinking glasses and cutting into their food. Life on a whole could never be disappointing, Relena thought, watching her daughter answer questions about what she was getting for Christmas.

"Well, I told Santa I wanted the war to stop," Akiko said earnestly, "but he said that other people have to work that out for themselves."

**~~@[~*,~]@~~**

Christmas Eve. It was Christmas Eve.

Marie secluded herself to the corner of the lounge, intent on avoiding the festivities. Christmas was always a time of mourning for her, enhancing the cruel memories she would just as soon forget.. She missed Trowa, missed his comfort and blind love.

She was nineteen now. She embittered herself on her past once again, all the way to when she was barely three. She _had_ met her father occasionally, usually for brief spans of minutes, but at this particular Christmas it had been for almost two weeks. Her dying mother had smuggled him into their house late one night while Dekim was away and he'd taken her away to his secluded house deep in the European wood. She had been frightened and confused, especially when Dekim came for her. But what she had felt then really didn't matter anymore.

"I don't suppose you've ever really celebrated Christmas, huh?" Can took the seat opposite her, his face flushed and voice slightly slurred. "You should have no reason not to, you know. We've been in good spirits and could probably take Beliv's army right now if it weren't Christmas n'all."

"My reasons are my own," she replied tersely. "You're drunk, Cam."

He shook his head. "M'not, I promise. I had one beer and that's it. I've jus' been out on the dance floor a little too much. And don't think I know_ why _you're being this way, either. Can't you just get over damn man for one night and have some fun? I bet a lot of crew members would feel less uncomfortable around you if you even _acted_ like one of us as much as you claim to be one."

Even the mention of it made her uneasy.

"Oh, come _on_, it's _Christmas,_ Mariemaia. Doesn't he deserve a break?" He popped a colorful candy into her open hand "Loosen up a little, huh?"

Marie sighed and put it in her mouth. "I just don't want to be here," she said.

Cam looked over at the mass of the jubilee and stood. He offered his hand. "Now that you mention it, it does seem kind of stuffy in here."

Marie found herself considering. "I suppose I'd been waiting for company after all."

The rest of the ship seemed so strange and abandoned. There was the occasional murmur or laugh as someone made their way to or from somewhere. The echo of the engines was somewhat hair-raising.

"Just relax for a while," Cam scolded lightheartedly. He dug through a box he'd pulled from underneath his bunk and found a bottle of champagne. "This isn't the best out there, but I like it fine."

Marie watched as he poured the wine, then sipped it cautiously. "Yes, it's all right." It was getting to be late, but she didn't feel tired. Cam's crew cabin was small, but he had done his best to make it home. He had somehow situated a small couch on one wall and his bed against the other, with boxes of personal belongings under both. They sat together on his small couch, sipping champagne like old friends. The lights were low.

"What are you trying to prove, about my father I mean?" The words just slipped out. "And don't say because he was really a nice, decent guy or whatever. That isn't provable." In the following seconds she realized how stupid she sounded. Cam was, if anyone, the person who never disguised his intentions and opinions from her.

He looked surprised. "I though we'd agreed we wouldn't talk about him. All it does is upset you Marie, and I don't want that now."

What he _did_ want . . . she knew, but she didn't understand why he thought she'd feel the same. "It's not about him. It's why you insist on lecturing me."

"Cam studied the floor, as if he would find an explanation there. "My father was an officer that was close to him. I grew up around Treize, and I liked. He was good with kids. He liked my friends and me and spent time with us. I don't think you really know what he was like. Someone who hated him raised you. I mean, I'm sorry that you suffered under his name, but you shouldn't blame him."

"That's not what I meant and you know it. Why do you personally want me to know?"

He reddened a little. "I hate to see people hurting," he said quietly. "That's why I asked you here. You're so stressed that you don't even know it. I can't stand to not do anything when I know someone is so lost."

His heart was in the right place. She couldn't help but smile at how incredibly sweet that was. Despite her discomfort about her father, she realized she probably _was_ angrier at Dekim. After all, she had reclaimed her father's name. "That's very unselfish, but I can't assure you that you aren't wasting your time."

He moved closer to her and his leg brushed against hers— almost not on purpose. "If you'll allow me some insight, Commander Khushrenada, I think you've let other people's fear of a repeating history influence your thoughts and actions. I think it's gotten to the point where you're afraid of yourself."

She turned away, trying to avoid his imploring stare. "Thank you for the concern, Cam, but I have lived my entire life avoiding my public image, not immersing myself in it."

"Says one of the most admired, most agreeable beautiful women in the world?"

She did look up, startled. His face was earnest, but a bit disbelieving. "Who says that?"

He smiled. "Who says that, honey? Just about everyone! You're telling me you didn't even notice? I know people— guys and girls both— who would give their right arm to be in my position right now. You're wanted. You're desired. You're admired at levels eve your father never equaled. You're the symbol of blink justice hurtling steadfast into chaos. You convey warmth and control because you're a woman. No one questions you. No one loses faith when they're with you. And yet . . . I . . . I who am as close to you as anyone . . . feel so completely at a loss."

Suddenly she realized that it wasn't pity in his expression. He was enamored of her. She felt like a fool for not noticing, for not acknowledging. It was a shock, though not unpleasant. She laughed. "What a pitiful pair we make, lost and confused and trusted to save the galaxy from oblivion—"

In one quick movement, Cam seized her face with his hand and kissed her. It was obviously meant as something short, friendly, but when she didn't flinch away he stayed. Marie felt her pulse race, pounding through her face, ans he let herself surrender, realizing just how badly she had needed the reprieve. Finally, they broke off and she put her head on his shoulder, unable to keep it up.

"Last night I got to thinking a lot," he murmured, running his fingers through her tangled curls. "And I realized I had nothing to lose— and everything to gain— if I made the effort to help you have a merry Christmas."

"Is this some kind of mission," she asked, "of mercy, by orchestration of my father?"

"What?"

"He chases me, my father's ghost," she explained, no longer caring what he'd make of it. "Ben says I'm crazy, but I swear it's true. I just can't . . . get away from him. You'd think if he cared he'd just leave me alone . . ."

"It doesn't surprise me in the slightest. It sounds like something he would do. He talked about you all the time, you know." Cam shifted a little and put his arms around her.

"He'll never get it," she said. "Even if my suffering wasn't purely his fault, I wouldn't be alive if it weren't for his and my mother's stupidity. My mother payed her price, but he just didn't learn."

Cam was prepared to protest but realized she was not going to let opposition in at this point. Her tactic on life was much like hers in battle, blunt force. She was trembling, and he knew how she felt.

She kissed him again. Still leaning limp against him. "Thank you for being sensitive."

_Resolution comes quickly for someone who claims to be unforgiving,_ Cam thought.

It was Christmas.

**~~@[~*,~]@~~**

Ah, Christmas. Such a meaningful day for so many people for so many different reasons. In memory of the great wars of the past, let the war now go on!

Dorothy had been presented with five colonies for Christmas. They weren't newly captured (curse those Phantom Runners and that foolish Khushrenada girl!) but they were useful in many respects. She demanded top production from the asteroid mines and full production from the factories. From the colonies all the young able men were needed. It was a war, no time to be picky.

"I'll miss Earth when it's gone," she said idly to Erik. "There is some things that are unique, but we have no time to grieve for something that's already been destroyed."

"We have to save the important things, but that list is so short that it barely matters," he replied. "Have the preparations been made?"

"Of course, Admiral." Dorothy saluted. "Operation Santa Claus is in effect as of now."

"Good luck. Out." The transmission ended.

Dorothy laughed. Oh, this was going to be so much fun!

**~~@[~*,~]@~~**

Quatre lay awake late into his sleep cycle, a little unsure as to why. That ship that they'd passed through a few days ago seemed suspicious to him, although they'd heard no ill reports on it. It was going to Earth, which just seemed wrong to him.

Aliens . . . could it really be true? It just seemed too fantastic. A private conversation earlier with Une revealed that she was uneasy about it. Even if it was true— and they had not evidence but vague clues that could well have been faked— what were the possibilities that they would understand human politics. Life and culture had such variety that it was almost impossible to imagine them being in any way similar as peoples.

For what was possibly the first time, he wondered how much Trowa had found out. They hadn't spoken in so long. Quatre was starting to get the feeling that perhaps Trowa thought they had become too distant. Perhaps it was time to let go.

In the meantime, he wondered how Heero's party was going.

He wondered if Mariemaia had gone home for a while. He knew Heero had offered her safe passage.

**~~@[~*,~]@~~**

Mariemaia awoke quickly, for a moment frightened at the unfamiliar surroundings. What was the sudden feeling in the pit of her stomach that she'd said or did something that would ruin herself? She hadn't had that much to drink, but the last hours had become so blurred in her mind . . .

She fled his room, afraid of what anyone who saw her would think. If something had come up, Dennis and Ben would be wondering where she was. She needed to discuss this with someone and get the guilt off her chest, but her choices were too limited. The gundam that didn't trust her was her only option.

She couldn't. Marie stood under the dimmed lights looking up at the great mechanical monster. Fortuna's deep green body and blackest wings were too cold, too distant and overpowering. The gundam was so intimidating, and her already weakened spirit almost fled her body. She stood on the middle level, where Fortuna's narrow, almost delicate hands rested together on her right. She'd never really had that much time to examine the features of Fortuna's head, but with the eyes dimmed it seemed as if they were actually closed. Carefully sculpted lips were parted slightly, and the eyebrows beneath the crest of the helmet were thin and feathery, as if they were real. It made her shiver.

"What have I done?" she whispered. "What am I supposed to do now?"

She'd never before noticed how textured Fortuna's hands were until she climbed into the outstretched palms. They, too, were warm like the cockpit, and an exhausted Marie curled up and began to fall asleep inside them.

"What is it in this world that makes us so vulnerable to things purely immaterial?" she asked, trying to figure out why she felt so used.

_"That is the greatest mystery to me",_ someone said.

Marie lifted her head out her arms and saw that Fortuana's hands had moved to provide a more protective cover for her. She was only beginning to contemplate how that could have happened when they moved again. She nearly screamed and clung desperately to the creases of the gundams hands. Fortuna cradled her to her chest, almost as if she was trying to comfort her. It was supposed to be impossible for her to move without a pilot. "What is this?" she looked up at Fortuna's face.

Her eyes _had_ been closed. The green glowing metal slid upward swiftly to reveal deep hazel eyes with slit pupils and whites around the edges. She blinked again, great watery eyes scanning her. _"You humans are such detailed creatures, so beautiful and so complex. It is so puzzling to see such a great conflict in a race as advanced as you are."_ Suddenly, it looked like she was smiling. _"Perhaps I should not have been so presumptuous."_

_This has got to be a dream_, Marie told herself. This was just too much for twenty-four hours of living. Fortuna . . . Fortuna was alive.

_"This universe is a fantastic place, Mariemaia Khushrenada. I will happy to one day show you the beauty it conceals. But for now, you are tired. Sleep."_ They _were_ feathers, great immense ones. With a great swish and a rush of air she folded them around her, cradling the young broken woman in a bed of soft warm almost-flesh. Marie, too tired to argue and much too tired to resist, curled up against the slick feathers and fell asleep, held securely in the arms of the gundam called Fate.

**~~@[~*,~]@~~**

"So what _are_ the kids getting for Christmas, Heero?" Phailin asked.

Heero put his finger to his lips. "You'll see in the morning, I promise. I made Kik promise she'd wake us up before she went to go open the presents."

"I might have a Christmas present for all of you, too," Noin said, and she and Milliardo both grinned.

"I thought we'd agreed to give up on the conspiracy," Relena joked.

"We're going to have to leave as soon as the Big Moment's over. I have to get everything moved down to my clan before dark." Phailin closed her eyes and leaned against Wufei. The news of the sudden change had taken all but a few of them by surprise.

"Do you really think moving is necessary, Wufei? Bankok is a pretty anonymous city," Trowa said.

"She's got a bounty on her head, Trowa, and I'm not willing to risk it. It isn't that I don't think she's a competent woman in her own right, but I'm not taking any chances." Wufei hugged his wife's small waist tighter.

"I truly don't mind all that much," Phailin insisted. "I haven't spent more than a few weeks with my family in almost ten years. It'll do me good to get away from the strict schedule of the city and train of my own accord."

"We shouldn't try and run their lives, Trowa," Anja said quietly. "You've asked quite enough out of Wufei as it is."

The five couples and Vincent sat quiet for a moment, the fire crackling gently and the snow still falling outside. Heero turned to the dark young man. "I bet it seems strange, being the only single guy here. It feels like I barely know you, but you saved my wife's life. Why don't you tell us a little about yourself, Vincent?"

Vincent grinned sheepishly, long black hair falling over his narrow shoulders. The lanky lad was taller and much more slightly built than Trowa, but his manner was nearly identical most of the time. He was a very mysterious kid, really. "There's not really much to tell. Actually, I suffered a bad accident when I was ten and my memory was pretty much wiped out. I can only go with what people tell me, but I was adopted. I know my parents were killed in a local scuffle during a mobile suit battle, but I don't know where. I've wanted to be a pilot as long as I can remember, and I was good enough to join the specials when I was seventeen. My life was pretty routine until Tovah and I were summoned to go steal Beliv's archives. Orders came to get put into the onboard prison and we did so. We got snatches of news and figured out that Ms Relena's been captured and realized what our objective was. The rest is pretty much history."

"And I'll, once again, be eternally grateful," Heero said.

"So that's it? No one even told you where you were from, who your parents were or anything else about yourself?" Trowa looked puzzled and slightly concerned. "That just doesn't seem right to me."

"Trust me, I've spent many long nights searching for that stuff. I've met a lot of people with the same problem. It's not that I'm not suspicious, but when you don't know who you might have been you can stop worrying about it and live for the moment. That's an advantage I've discovered."

Heero smiled. "That sounds so very brutally familiar."

Noin looked at the clock. It was nearing one in the morning. "I should go and check to make sure the little cherubs are sleeping before we perform our Santa Claus duties," she said, getting up. Milliardo smiled as he watched her go. Still fresh from a honeymoon (which had meant frequent trips to the Sanc Kingdom on Relena's part), they seemed very excited about the whole prospect. Considering that they were both in their thirties, Relena reminded herself, they had a right to be enthusiastic about the definitive commitment.

A moment later, their was a crash and a thump. They all jumped, and both Milliardo and Heero rushed out of the room, the former bellowing his wife's name in panic. When no answer could be heard, the rest of them all took to their feet. Relena, closely followed by Duo and Sophie, took the stairs two at a time and stopped dead just at the entrance to the bedroom that all three of the children had been sharing.

They got there just in time to see Heero leap out the shattered window into the snow. Millardo was cradling Noin's head in his lap, where she had been beaten unconscious. The children were gone.

"No," Relena whispered, grasping the doorframe to stay standing.

Duo cursed and ran to the window. "There's no way Heero's gonna catch that car," he said hoarsely.

The front door slammed as Vincent made his own desperate attempt at a chase. He leapt into his rented convertible and gunned the engine viciously. Heero made a flying leap for the car as if raced past and managed to tumble into the backseat. Zero had been put deep into the woods and couldn't be retrieved now under such urgent conditions.

His trusty nine-millimeter appeared from somewhere and Heero took aim below and slightly to the left of the left red taillight. There was no pop as he failed to hit the tires. He couldn't see them in the dark. Heero wasn't going to risk injuring his daughters and aim for the driver.

Two or three rounds were fired back just as they pulled side to side, and Vincent suddenly yelled in pain and swerved. They crashed into a snowbank on the side of the recently plowed road. Heero nearly snapped his neck as he turned to see the kidnappers drive off and fade into the Christmas night.

"I'm okay, not that anyone cares," Vincent said. "I might bleed to death, but I think I can still move my legs."

His mind numb, Heero turned to the kid. He'd taken a bullet to try and get the children back. Vincent moaned and clutched at his side. "I think my rib got it, but _man_."

Heero cut the boy's seatbelt and laid him down in the snow, cut off his shirt and used it to stem the bleeding. "Yeah, just a surface puncture," he assured the kid. His voice sounded mechanical. His hands were shaking. His chest stung, and only then did he realize the bullet had grazed him before burying itself in Vincent's rib cage.

An ambulance from the nearest community was summoned and Vincent was taken to be cared for at the hospital there. As it left, screaming into the bloodred sunrise, Heero knelt in the snow as if he couldn't move. His children, his priceless children were gone.

"What happened?" Noin demanded, sitting up quickly despite the pounding in her skull.

"The children have been kidnapped," Milliardo said, rewetting the warm cloth against her forehead. "Settle down. There's certainly nothing you can do at this point. It's not your fault, sweetheart."

The rest gathered together, moving slowly with shock and disbelief. What had once been an invulnerable fortress had been infiltrated in only a moment and shattered in only slightly more than that. Sophie was sobbing against a stricken Duo, staring off into empty space as if his mind had frozen up entirely.

Heero staggered into the room, bleeding across the chest and covered with new-fallen snow, and immediately wrapped his arms around his shaken wife. "We'll have them back," he vowed, "if I die trying."

"Only Erik Beliv would do something so evil," Wufei said, fists clenched tight with rage. The moment I get to the Phantom Runners I'll make sure we get his head. This— this _atrocity _will not go unjustified."

"How very, very sick," Trowa muttered quietly, trembling as much as the rest.

Far from home, Quatre wondered if anybody else was sleeping.

**__**

Tzuzuku (to be continued). . .

************************************************

_Well, _I_ think that's pretty good for one day's worth of writing. I'll go through and fine-tune it when I have time. I'm planning on doing a Chapter fifteen in the same style as **AC 206** so I need some input! Reviews work, since I have Reviewalert (hint, hint). It'll be a little longer before I start **AC 208: The Search for Truth** because my grades are sinking like rocks, so you can expect it about mid-June or so. Yeah, waah waah but I kind of am required to have a life at some point or another (Plus my boyfriend's a senior and I kinda want to spend time with him before he leaves me, you know)._

Well, that about covers the news. *yawns* Must get to bed.

-Itsumo


	15. Why I Did What I Did in AC 207 ^_^

(Sorry about the format. I'll convert this back to .htm as soon as I get away from this really crappy version of Word.)  
  
Hey you guys, how is everyone (heh heh . . . )? God, this chair is uncomfortable - it's too tall and I don't exactly have long legs. They keyboard is a different design that I'm used to so I'm making lots of typos, the computer is slow and its version of Word is outdated . . .  
  
Anyway, here's the Chapter 15 for AC 207 that I promised, like, months ago. I just haven't had time to go through and look at all my chapters in sequence without having to look for a piece of information or strictly for editing (I'm never going to get AC 206 reedited at this rate . . .). Now I have to go hunt down all the little subtle nuances that I stuck in there . . .   
  
Enjoy.  
  
**************************************************  
  
CHAPTER 1: PROLOGUE; THE HANDS OF FATE  
  
Right off the bat, the snow is an allusion to peace: it looks so serene when he world is in turmoil. Next, Mariemaia taking the responsibility to call the others with the news says that she's ready to take on her own position with the military (or whatever), but she begs she's not ready. What I tried to show there was that she was nervous about fighting a war that claimed the memory of her father. It became evident later that she wasn't anywhere at ease with him. Duo, Sophie, Heero and Relena have gone into the city in the middle of the night . . . makes things a bit suspicious, right? Milliardo choosing to cuddle Akiko instead of Noin betrays a little bit of a gentile nature and a disposition towards children.  
  
The scene with Beliv and his officers if pretty straightforward. His evilness is a little more evident in his thoughts, and his new mobile suits seemed too advanced . . . as if they were their own match for a gundam. Later, it seems that the new Earth Sphere mobile suits have advanced too, and it makes one wonder if the gundams are oudated.  
  
  
  
CHAPTER 2: "New Arrivals, New Ideas"  
  
When Quatre arrives in the colony, he and Rashid had an argument. Quatrre was no longer trying to promote peace. Instead, he was urging others to fight. Then back on Earth, Heero and Duo were acting like Heero and Duo predictably would act under given circumstances, except Relena was getting a little upset with her husband because he wasn't excited. Heero's mood's been a little off almost the entire fic, as if he's worried about something. However, when the baby's born and Milliardo names her Raina, meaning "Peace," Heero begins to revert back to his old self as if the children will help bring an end to the war. Also, I named Vincent what I did because 1. I like that name and 2. It means "great warrior." Vince will need all the strength he can when it comes time to escape Beliv and live through the traumatizing ordeal.  
  
It was raining in London, but Trowa's wet clothes represented the downcast expression of everyone on Earth. It was a bit ominous to our first meeting with he notorious Dennis. Mariemaia's failure to rescue him was due in part to her reluctance to speak about her father, if you read between the lines.  
  
  
  
CHAPTER 3: "Delirium and Grievances"  
  
Once again, Heero's uncertainty shows itself in the form of tears . . . tears even his own wife had never seen him shed. Heero is frightened for his family, about how the war will tear it apart. As it turns out, he's absolutely right despite his attempts to control the future as Shukumei.  
  
Even Phailin and Wufei are scared - with no particular reason - which says a lot about what the war really means. In one sentence I reveal that Phailin is pregnant, but because Wufei doesn't give a straight answer when she asks if he wants a son, you might begin to think that tradition has even less to do with Wufei than he's willing to admit.  
  
The big private conference is again held at Heero's house. It's a large house, so it makes sense because there are so many people, but there is also something else. Heero has always been the one they all looked up to, and Heero has to continue to provide that strength even if he doesn't want to, or the whole system might shatter. Heero's fit is only for show, to draw attention to his little corner and spur curiosity in his idea. He has to have everyone unconditionally on his side for the plan to work. Marie's sharp and notices, but soon has her own ideas about applying her father's name.  
  
Lastly, we get our first glimpse of the ghost. Notice he appears soon after Beliv took his name in vain? My intention was originally for him to be Marie's watchdog, though apparently she's allergic to dogs . . .  
  
  
  
CHAPTER 4: "Outbreak"  
  
It becomes clear that Heero's plan involved sending his wife to be captured by Beliv. Relena had a chance to act our her hatred for the man, but as still raped and tortured. Heero knew full well the consequences and discouraged his wife, but once Relena decided she'd do it there was no turning back. Beliv keeps talking about Milliardo's ghost, since few people still know he's alive. Heero also butts into Lady Une's business, to manipulate military orders ever so slightly so Relena wouldn't get in trouble, and maybe to hide something else (I think you can come to your own conclusion on that. There's more than one).  
  
You also meet Ben in this chapter. First impressions leave you feeling he's energetic and happy-go-lucky, but as time wears down that facade you find out he's very serious and perhaps a bit overprotective. It proves needed, since Marie goes a little crazy with her first battle. I wanted to do this to show that she really is fragile, and also that she wasn't the always in-control pilot that her father always commandeered himself to be or the brat-child she once was.  
  
Last, Sandrock and Shenlong are acting very strange, foreboding to the artificially intelligent biological brains. At this point it seems that humans have done this.  
  
  
  
CHAPTER 5: "Awakening"  
  
As is revealed later (I think actually in AC208, oh well), Treize (the ghost) knows a lot more about the gundams than anyone else thought. Treize, then, would want to keep Quatre's discovery about [see above] relatively secret, as is clearly evident later. I also designed the ghost to have a few Terryisms (read Terry Pratchett books, you'll understand), to add a bit of humor. Marie meets him, but at this point you might not know who he is, but her father's ghost watching her was the last straw. What little affection she may have felt for him evaporated.  
  
Her Kirin started talking to her like the gundams, but supposedly they're only mobile suits . . .  
  
But when Phailin gets online with the other gundams, the gundam gives a machine's explanation of Marie's behavior. The kirin doesn't really understand (as neither Sandrock nor Shenlong did) , whereas Fortuna did later on. Something about their minds just isn't up to it. However, they do have enough brains to not cooperate with their pilots if they don't want to (except Tallgeese, to compensate for his natural disobedience and arrogance). Everything else in that chapter is pretty straightforward.  
  
  
  
CHAPTER 6: "Floating Amongst"  
  
This chapter's not hard to understand at all. People asked me for action, so I gave action. Fooled you for a while, didn't I. Oh yes I did, don't give me that look.  
  
  
  
CHAPTER 7: "The Finer Points of Living"  
  
I'm going to say one thing: the ghost (duh) has a motive to keep everybody alive. He knows the consequences should one of the good guys die. The ghost does have a lighter side, offering a little reprieve from this dark angst-y mood. You first get to see Cam, with a little crushy-wushy on Marie . . . (yeah I know that Kirin and Karakadann joke was lame. It was like 2 in the morning). Poor Phailin and Wu . . . they lost the baby. There's a reason for this, but it won't make much since until later in AC 208. As always, the only way to give a Chang bad news is to get him massively drunk.  
  
  
  
CHAPTER 8: "Goodbye, Cruel World"  
  
Poor Dennis . . . I kind of modeled him after someone I knew. She didn't survive, though. Fortunately, he had Marie on his side, and her father following at her heels. I had alternate endings, depending on how the vote that I took went, and "live" only won by one point.  
  
  
  
CHAPTER 9: "Choices"  
  
"Dad?" so begins this chapter. I named this chapter "Choices" for many different reasons, but partially because Sophie decided to accept her father - a bitter reminder of her regrettable past - back into the life that she's forged for herself and her husband and son. Another issue that comes up is the civil war thing - and how tightly stretched funds would be divided. Civil disturbances have been narrowly avoided, but only at the expense of a clean way to cool down the war. Had Dennis died, Mariemaia would have had difficulty keeping the war relatively clean and many of the colonies would have been damaged and destroyed. Nor would the highly idealistic Phantom Runners had been formed and the war would have been much more horrible. And why Dorothy? She always seems to turn up where the worst of the war is, doesn't she? She'll have a bit of a part later. Those photos were given to Beliv, with the intention for him to do exactly what he did. The secret revealed had a complex and ultimately positive effect on the public. Often voted the most inspirational celebrities of their age, the fruitful, happy union of Heero and Relena gave people hope.  
  
  
CHAPTER 10: "Power Conquest"  
  
The reasons why the Peacecraft Kingdom returned are complex and I don't think I can name them all. Mainly, Relena and Milliardo thought that the public would find inspiration in the Sanc Kingdom. Also, they hoped to influence politics and add funds to the depleted resources of the world's government. Milliardo, also known as the spy (Shinobi), wanted a secure place to keep his information, and keep his own sorry ass safe. It was really Heero's idea, though he knew the country wouldn't last. Marie forms her own group of fighters - a freelance community with a strong faith in their leader. Slowly, Marie realizes that no one really remembers who she used to be - forgiven as mistakes that every child makes. The warriors intrude on a battle that would have surely been lost without their help. The new gundam Fortuna was the real victor, faster, better and completely at advantage to any mobile suit. Heero had sent the gundam to her through Milliardo, but at this point no one knows why or where the thing had come from. She seemed alive at first impression, and you'll have to read further to find an explanation for that. She was the creature that rescued Relena from deep space (at Zero's summoning) but who was piloing? Quatre called it a demon before he knew what it was, and Duo said "Only kids believe in that stuff." A bit of irony, coming from Shinigami. In the aftermath, Marie gets a lecture from Cam about her father when she's trying to relax!  
  
Back in Bangkok, headhunters are out for Phailin. With strict security lifted in times of crisis, the bounty hunters are free to search for her. Because of her name, she is no longer quite so hard to find.  
  
And what is Milliardo doing running around in the middle of the night? Sounds a bit of suspicious to me, Shinobi . . .  
  
  
  
CHAPTER 11: "The Mask of Flames"  
  
Hmm . . . Trowa's plotting something involving Wufei, methinks. The bar scene was kind of random, but it has some meaning. I never intended for Quatre and Trowa to stay together long, because despite everything Trowa still wants another little Mariemaia of his own running around. (Why else would he have adopted her in the first place?) But Trowa's hunch to send Wu out into space may prove very successful and needed. As is seen in AC 208, he's needed.  
  
Heero recued his computer from the fire in the castle because it contained all he knew about the conspiracy surrounding the gundams. Naturally, Zechs would have thought Heero would have given him that information to pass around, and that was something best kept a complete secret. It was Milliardo trying to hack into his computer. You'll get to read about it in AC 208. Milliardo was unaware of the fact, else he would have warned the man.  
  
Duo needed something to occupy his time anyway, so why not set him to help   
decode the lists. They didn't really turn out to be much at first, but they will prove invaluable near the end of my third book.  
  
  
  
CHAPTER 12: "The Message"  
  
Yeah, aliens. Sorry (well not really). This message was a little premature, but I had to establish the mood then. Une lets on a bit more than she intended, but she was very close to Treize, and Treize had a bit to do with them (which will be explained in the last book in more detail). Duo's first impression is correct in that Fortuna (the untraceable energy signature) isn't human-built. I won't tell you exactly what it was, because that would spoil things.  
  
This is an understatement, but Relena was a little hurt by the betrayal of those she loved so much. It was necessary to keep her in the dark, though, because she would have spoiled things. It's a good thing her faith isn't easily shaken, huh?  
  
  
  
CHAPTER 13: "The Consequences of Repetition"  
  
Milliardo takes over the kingdom. There are many reasons for this, mostly because he didn't want his sister to bear the strain and the danger any more. Relena had her own things to attend to, especially after the kidnapping in the following chapter. Milliardo also believed that his strong manly figure might have more influence in times when military power were important. A reborn Peacecraft, like with the constant name-switching going on, would give people hope.  
  
Duo meets Death, as I promised several of my friends. This is Death from Discworld (Terry Pratchett), and he gets a little overprotective of his job and how people misinterpret it. The opportunity was too good to pass up. (The Death of Rats is also a real character, too) Treize has a bit of a soft spot for the pilots, one would guess.  
  
Also, note that Fortuna is healing herself, another illusion of a living gundam. She speaks more philosophically than any of the others, too.  
  
  
  
CHAPTER 14: "Snow Drifts Slowly Down upon Decimated Souls"  
  
Ahh, a Christmas Party. Classic Gundam Wing material, man. Heero, internally   
sensitive as I believe Relena made him when they first met proposes a toast to everyone, to up morale and to express thanks to all his friends who kept him and each other going. It's unclear throughout most of the fic how much Heero really depends on their support, but subtle or not, I wrote it that way on purpose. No one can be strong without the occasional support.  
  
That goes for Mariemaia, too. Cam's open and friendly personality allowed her to let go for a while and become the person she was without fear, because publicity makes her very anxious. It was probably evident to everyone except Marie that he had a huuuuuge crush on her for most of the book, and he wanted nothing more than to comfort her when she was so alone and closed in on herself. Although she regretted it at the end of the chapter, he support slowly becomes her main source of support. You might ask why he felt so close to her so quickly, but remember they've been together with the fleet for a good six months or so, and it kind of goes back to what Mercedes Lackey calls a lifebond: an instant attraction to a person that can't be shaken - and is completely devastating upon one partner's death. This will meet further explanation later, in AC 208. Marie shares a different kind of lifebond with Fortuna, also, which proves another great comfort when she runs from the guilt and confusions of a night of retreat from solace.  
  
Vincent the elder turns out to have a background similar to Heero's and the other gundam pilot's. This will come into play later, as well.  
  
Beliv has rather obvious motives for kidnapping the kids: blackmail and just plain being evil. Operation Santa Claus is an unfortunate success, and I leave the entire book with a cliffhanger about what's happened to the kids. Read on . . . .  
  
*************************************************  
  
I'd like to thank every one of my fans out there. I know you don't get a lot of acknowledgement, but your support has really kept my spirits up. I hope you continue to follow this story, as I've dedicated a good portion of my life to it. As always, suggestions are always welcome, and I would love to make friends with people out there. I'm also looking for some fanfiction for my website, so if you'd like me to put it on send me a note at ItsumademoRelena@aol.com.  
  
It's strange, the people you meet. I've met people in six different countries (the U.S., Brazil, the Netherlands, Italy, Singapore and Japan) over the internet, and it's just simply amazing to me. Keep writing and reading, guys. There's a whole world out there to explore, and it'd be a shame to waste it!  
  
Arigatou  
  
-Itsumo  



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